The Princess and the pirate
by MonarqueMyste
Summary: In light of the fact that some people have been having some problems reviewing this story on the other site, I decided to place it back where it was as well as keep it on the other site.  I hope everyone enjoys it.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Father! Why do I have to marry that scoundrel?" Maria demanded as she slammed her hand down onto the kitchen table, her emerald green eyes flashed her anger.

"Because, I said so" Harold DuPoi sternly spoke as he watched his daughter's cheeks turn bright red with anger and frustration.

"That is not a good enough reason for me to marry James!" Maria screamed as she placed her other hand down on the table and stared her father in the eye.

"It's satisfactory enough for me"

"Except why? Why won't you give me an answer?" she was almost crying as she bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from screaming out any more of her rage.

"You want to know?" Harold started to say, "We have lost almost all of our land and what little money we do bring in is barely enough to make the bills meet."

"Very well. I'll get a job" Maria volunteered as she stood upright as well as tossed her waist length titian red hair back.

"You will get that notion out of your head. For one thing, you're very young and Mr. Gunther and I have already made arrangements. You will marry James on your eighteenth birthday whether you like it or not" he said as he flipped the newspaper open to the sports section, thereby ending the conversation.

"Mom" Maria cried as Catherine walked into the kitchen. Maria ran toward her mother.

"Sshh. It's going to be alright" Catherine softly said as she wrapped her arms around Maria and at that moment glared at Harold, who was ignoring the whole scene.

"How could he do this to me?" Maria cried as she felt her mother gently stroke the back of her hair.

"Maria, go for a ride and I'll see if I can talk your ornery father out of this stupidity" Catherine affirmed as she eased Maria out of her embrace.

"Thanks Mom. I can always count on you. Unlike some people" Maria emphasized her final declaration before she walked out the front door.

"Harold! Have you lost your marbles?" Catherine started to say "You know good and well that Maria can not stand the ground that James walks on."

"No, I haven't lost my marbles. I have made a decision to make sure that Maria is well provided for" he calmly spoke, not understanding why his whole family was contrary to the idea of a comfortable marriage ceremony.

As Harold stared at his lovely wife and began to think about the few times they argued. It was normally over something that had to do with Maria.

When they did argue, he loved watching the way her delicate ivory skin flushed, the way her small but firm breasts rose and fell with each breath, and especially when her full lips formed a pout. He also enjoyed it when she'd place her small hands on her narrow waist, emphasizing her slightly rounded hips and firm flat stomach.

"I guess that you never once thought that Maria might want to be in love with someone when she marries. Or, you just didn't think that love was necessary for a happy marriage" Catherine placed one of her hands on her hips and the other hand on the kitchen table, leaning over so she came almost nose to nose with her husband.

"Look Cathy. When we married almost twenty years ago, love was all that was needed but, now, finances are tight and we don't have room for that kind of luxury" he knew that would not his wife's anger towards him.

"Well, I am going to assume that you, my darling husband, will be enjoying the couch since the bed is obviously a luxury item also that you cannot afford!" Cathy exclaimed in a clipped tone of voice that indicated her silent fury.

"Do what!?" Harold stammered out as he looked at his wife's stern expression. He could see the silent rage that was brewing in her violet colored eyes. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched the way she drummed her fingers on top of the table.

"I didn't stutter, dear. Until you stop this foolish behavior, you will be staying on the couch" Cathy declared coldly as she stood upright, turned around, and then tossed her shoulder length blonde tresses behind her.

"That's not fair. I am your husband and I…"

"You lost your husbandly rights when you started this whole business of marrying Maria off to a wealthy man whom she despises more than anything. So don't you dare tell me what I will and won't do and don't talk to me about being fair" Cathy turned back to face Harold with her head held high and a finger pointed in his direction.

"You know, I always did like it when you got yourself bent out of shape. Maybe you could bend a little this way" he was trying to be suave as he stood up and walked over to Cathy.

Cathy knew that most of the men in town were intimidated by her husband not only because of his six-foot-three stance but, also his two hundred and twenty pounds of farm worked muscle.

When they met almost twenty-five years ago, she wasn't the least bit afraid of him when he walked into the small diner in town. When he started to complain about his food not being done the way he wanted it done, she stood up to him and stared into his dark blue eyes. She let him know that she was not going to be bullied by his idea of a perfect world.

Even at eighteen years old, she had a lot of gumption. More so than anyone else in their small town, considering that she only stood about five-foot-four and barely weighed one hundred pounds. Most men wouldn't dare to ask her out for fear of her temper and her loaded shotgun.

She was surprised that he came back into the diner the next day and asked for her specifically to wait on him. Cathy also remembered telling him to mind his manners and they would get along just fine.

Six months later, he finally got up enough courage to ask her out to the movies. Of course, she told him she would have to think about since it took him so long to ask. He eventually began to beg her for just one date. It took her about three weeks before she finally said "yes" but, it took him begging her before she accepted his proposal. Cathy found it rather embarrassing to have a guy down on one knee with his hands clasped together, begging her to go out with him. The most embarrassing part of the whole thing was the fact that he did it in front of everyone at the diner. She finally accepted after that incident. One date turned into two and two turn into four and so forth.

After the first date, they both realized that they had more in common they what they thought they did. They had more laughs together than a stack of comic books. They went fishing and hunting. This was a very unladylike thing to do in their small town. But, neither one of them cared, they were just happy being together.

After another year of courting, she and Harold married. It took Harold another round of begging in the middle of the diner before she accepted his marriage proposal. It was the talk of the town, of how the biggest bully had been beaten by a girl half his size and with a bigger temper than him.

And now, after many happy years of marriage, they had finally hit a rough spot in the road. It was something that neither one of them had anticipated. Bankruptcy. They both knew it was coming and yet, they didn't know of a way to stop it. The last couple of years had been in a drought and the farmers were dirt poor. Including their land.

"That smooth talking southern gentleman act won't work this time" she said as she turned her back to him and tried to walk away only to have his hands clamp down on her shoulders.

"Big silly farmer angered little wife. Maybe he can make it up to her on a pile of hay" he tried to make her laugh as he slid his hands down her slender arms and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her close to him.

"That's not going to work. It might have worked when I was sixteen but not when I am nearing forty" she firmly stated as she turned around in his embrace to face him.

"Gee darling, I thought you were sixteen" he knew his smooth southern drawl would normally win her over.

"Aren't you being cute but, it's not working" Cathy shyly smiled up at him.

"What do you want me to do? I already accepted the money that Mr. Gunther gave to me in order to pay the bills up to date and for the next several years. Which means we are no longer in debt" he spoke softly as he rested his chin on top of Cathy's head.

"Why couldn't you let Maria and I know about this before hand? We could have worked something out with the finance companies. Hell, you know Maria would have gotten a part time job after school without asking any questions" Cathy calmly stated.

"Maria has so many after school activities, all of which she's paid for out of her own pocket from all the shows that she's done with her horse, Star. Plus, she's a very responsible young lady who would do anything to keep us from loosing everything we have. She's a straight A student, she does karate, and does some of the horse shows with Star" Cathy stated.

"The answer is no. She will marry James on her eighteenth birthday and that is all I have to say about it" Harold said as he removed his arms from around Catherine's waist and walked out the front door.

"So you think" Cathy whispered to herself after Harold walked out the front door. _As soon as we get a chance Maria, I am going to have to tell you the truth about whom and what you are._ She thought as she walked down the hall to her bedroom at the back side of the house.

_I can no longer hide the truth from you. _Cathy thought as she pulled a wooden step stool out of her walk-in closet and got on top of it. Slowly, she pushed a loose board, which was on the ceiling, out of the way and then pulled a cardboard box out of it.

Cathy was very thankful that Harold had not discovered it. She didn't think he would be able to handle the truth. The truth about Maria being from another planet. The truth that Maria's true name was Princess Marianna Alexandria DuPoi of Saturn, daughter of King Kronos and Queen Arielle of the Crystal Palace.

The only way she knew anything about it was because of what was in the box that she placed on top of her bed. It was the only way she knew anything about alien civilizations and other non-human activities.

_Oh, what am I to do? There's so much to explain and only two years to explain it all in. I have kept this secret with me for almost sixteen years._ She thought as she opened the cardboard box to reveal a silver cryotube that was about thirty inches in length, about twenty inches in width, and about eighteen inches high. The inside of the tube was lined in padded white sateen and it still contained the short note from the queen, explaining as much as she could in a brief period of time. The note read:

"_Dear Caring Individual,_

_Please take care of my daughter, Marianna. When she reaches the age of maturity, please explain to her all that I am explaining to you. Make sure that you give her this necklace that I am enclosing with this letter. It has great power and it will help her to locate her other siblings. She has eight other sisters that need to be found before a specific time, which I do not know. Please tell her that her father's name is King Kronos and I, her mother, am called Queen Arielle. My home planet of Saturn is under attack by the Dacronian army. Their leader Commander Darrius will no doubt see to my husband's as well as my own destruction. Also advise her that she has a destiny to fulfill of which I can not explain. My time for living grows short. Tell Marianna that I love her and that I will always be there to guide, although I may no longer be flesh and blood. I must go now and protect the Crystal Palace as well as defend my people._

_Eternally Grateful,_

_Queen Arielle of Saturn"_

Cathy remembered the evening she had found Maria. It was in the middle of October and she was taking the laundry off of the clothes line when she saw a bright green light streaking through the sky. She at first thought it was a shooting star until it started to change course and maneuver itself towards the barn. Cathy recalled hearing it land behind the horse barn and her curious nature guided her to find out what it was. She cautiously walked behind the barn and found a rather oblong silver tube.

Cathy thought about getting Harold but, she knew he was out working on the fences and wouldn't be back for a couple of days. _Well, I hope this thing doesn't bite. That would be just my luck, to have an alien pop out of this thing and kidnap me while my husband's at work. _ Cathy thought as she nervously touched the outside of the tube. To her amazement, the tube quietly opened up. To her, it opened up exactly like a flower does in springtime.

Peering inside, she was astonished to see a little red headed baby, cooing and smiling._ Please tell me you're not going to eat me up. Who would abandon a baby?_ Without the slightest hesitation, Cathy reached into the tube and gently lifted the baby out of it. She, at first, thought the baby would start screaming but the little girl didn't.

Then Cathy noticed a small white envelope that had a wax seal on it. Leaning, she picked it up and carefully examined it. "I hope this letter explains who you are. You look like a normal human baby but, that doesn't necessarily mean you are" Cathy commented as she cradled the little girl in her arms.

Cathy had always wanted children but, the doctor told her that all the cysts that she had had on her ovaries when she was younger caused a massive amount of damage, making it impossible for her to ever be able to conceive. So, Harold and she decided to remain childless. She had brought the conversation about adoption but, they both discarded it because, they both wanted a baby instead of a ten or twelve year old child that was to set in getting their way.

Cathy hoped that Harold wouldn't mind adopting this little girl. She thought that the baby could be no older than six months old with a mop of red curls and big emerald green eyes.

"Come on, little one. Let's get you inside and fed. I'm sure you're very hungry" Cathy cooed as she carried the little girl inside the house and called one of her neighbors, who had a set of twins about a year ago. Cathy knew that she had kept all of her twin's old baby clothes, just in case.

After getting inside her home, Cathy immediately rang her neighbor.

"House of hellions, how may I direct your call" Susie happily declared when she answered the phone.

"Hey Susie! It's me, Cathy. Listen, I was wondering if you still had some of Jenny's old baby clothes." Cathy asked.

"Of course I do. Why? Did you finally knock Harold upside his cranium with a cast iron skillet?" Susie joked.

"He doesn't know, yet. I found this little baby girl behind the horse barn about ten minutes ago. She seems to be in very good health for an abandoned baby" Cathy stated as she sat down in the rocking chair, which was in the living room, and began to gently rock herself and the little girl.

"How could he not know? Oh, never mind. He's working out on the range" Susie understood.

"Exactly. Do you think you can help me out?" Cathy asked.

"Sure. I'll tell my husband to watch these two rug rats for a little while. I'll be over in about ten minutes. Do you need some baby food?" Susie asked as she rummaged through her children's closet and pulled out a huge box filled with her daughter's clothes.

"Please and thank you" Cathy chuckled as she continued to rock and cradled the little girl that was lying soundly asleep in her arms.

"Ok. I'll be over there shortly. See you soon" Susie chirped as she hung up the phone.

"See ya" Cathy whispered as she hung up the phone. She began to study the white envelope again. The only identifying mark on it was the blue wax seal on the back side. The seal's imprint was that of a circle equally divided into nine parts. Cathy opened up the envelope very carefully, so as not to harm the delicate wax seal, an odd shaped necklace dropped out of it onto the little girl's body. _What's this? Maybe the letter will explain its meaning. _She thought as she picked up the necklace and began to read the letter.

"So that's why you were placed inside that tube. Your mother and father were trying to protect you along with your other siblings from the war that broke out on your home planet. You poor thing. Don't worry, I'll protect you, Maria" Cathy soothingly stated as she ran her hand over the baby's delicate face.

"Hey Cathy! Where are you?" Susie exclaimed as she began to walk down the hall towards the living room.

"In the living room" Cathy stated as she watched her friend carry a large plastic tub into the living room.

Susie was about Cathy's age and height. She had dark brown hair, large round eyes that were so dark they were almost obsidian, olive colored skin, and a very tiny body. Susie had, at one point, told Cathy that she was originally from Italy, which explained her exotic beauty. Susie often joked about the fact that her husband was not into women with breasts. Instead, he enjoyed women who had long legs. Unlike Cathy's husband who enjoyed women who were quick on their feet and with their mouths.

"Is that the little baby? She's beautiful" Susie spoke softly as not to disturb the sleeping baby that lay cozily in Cathy's arms.

"Yes she is" Cathy smiled as she watched Susie open the large plastic tote up.

"I have enough clothes in here to outfit an army of babies" Susie chuckled as she lay the lid aside and began to show Cathy all of the infant clothes. Some were dresses of various colors, some were one piece outfits, some were pants and t-shirt combos, and there were even several pairs of shoes and socks.

"I can see that" Cathy laughed and then noticed that Susie had a large bag on the sofa.

"This bag has a lot of diapers, bottles, formula, baby food, and baby feeding spoons. This should get you through until Harold gets back off the range" Susie said.

"Thank you so very much. I don't know what I would have done without you" Cathy lamented.

"Hey, that's what best friends are for. That and going out every once in a while to the bar to make cat-calls at all the gorgeous men we see" Susie was always one for making a joke about everything, even during a funeral.

"Thanks" Cathy stated calmly as she looked back down at Maria and saw that she was awake.

"Now let's get that little girl fed, bathed, and changed" Susie commented.

Maria kept Cathy very busy for the next three days, when Harold came home and found his wife sitting in the rocking chair, singing a song to a little red headed cherub. He didn't like the idea of taking in an abandoned child but, once he saw the contented look on Cathy's beaming face he couldn't tell her no. They immediately went to the adoption agency and filled out the necessary paperwork to make Maria legally their daughter.

From that day, Harold had been a dotting father and a wonderful, caring husband. He bent over backwards for both of them. He nearly cried whenever he heard Maria call him "daddy".

That was almost sixteen years ago and he was still trying to be the best father for Maria but, he wasn't paying attention to Maria's wants and desires. Maria wasn't a spoiled child. She had worked hard for everything she had and everything she did. Cathy couldn't completely fault Harold for trying to make sure that Maria was well provided for but, at the same time he should have discussed it with the rest of family before making such an outrageous decision.

"Come on boy, let's go for a ride" Maria soothingly stated as she walked into the three stall barn.

"I'd say it was about time" Star spoke up, startling Maria.

"You can talk?" Maria questioned as she turned to look at her horse.

"I have always been able to talk. It's just that you're the only one who can talk back to me," he calmly stated.

"But, why wait so long to tell me?" she asked as she walked over to his stall and opened the stall door.

"I didn't think you were ready to hear the truth. I wanted to wait until you were alone. I did not want others of your kind to think you were crazy because, you are the only one who can understand me. Which they would have thought if they had seen you talking to me," Star mentioned as he walked over to Maria.

"Oh! Thank you, Star. It's nice to know that I at least have you to talk to whenever Reva's not in town," Maria cooed softly as she placed her hand on his muzzle and gently stroked his nose.

"No problem. Now, what was this I heard about a ride?" Star asked as he leaned into her tiny hand.

"I said something about going to a ride out into the fields. That is, if you don't mind" Maria said.

"No saddle please. It is cumbersome and it chafes my sides. I'll wear it for you only during shows," Star mentioned.

"Ok. What about a bridle?" Maria asked as she walked towards the back of the barn.

"You can hold onto my mane and besides, how would I be able to converse with you if I had something in my mouth. I could but, it would be very rude of me to talk with something in my mouth" Star joked.

"Alright, bareback riding it is," she understood as she opened up the rear stall doors that opened out into the pasture.

"Let's go!" Star said, very excitedly, as he walked towards Maria. He felt Maria pull herself onto his bare back and wrap her tiny hands into his thick black mane.

"I agree" Maria stated with a large smile on her face as she situated herself onto Star's back, making sure she was comfortable.

"And just where the Hell do you think you're going?" James asked as he walked down the center isle towards Maria and Star.

"Loser at six o'clock" Star whispered as he turned his head to stare at James.

"Riding why?" she questioned as she watched the determined look in his eyes.

"I thought I might join you," James sarcastically declared as he looked behind him at his dapple-grey Andalusian mare.

"She looks good but, her personality is like his. A slug" Star noted as he tossed his head as if telling Maria "no way".

"Nice horse, who did you steal her from?" Maria asked as she patted Star's neck.

"I bought her through honest hard work," James smugly acknowledged.

"You! Hard work and honest do not go in the same category! That is a good one! You aught to write that one down in your journal of the funniest things that you have ever said!" Maria almost rolled off Star because, she was laughing so hard.

"I did. Jasmine is a show horse just like your Star is. I am surprised you do not approve of my choice in exquisite bloodlines. She is top of the line" he was very smug with his accomplishment of purchasing that mare. James thought it would help to bring him closer to Maria.

"Star is not just some show horse, he specifically does unaffiliated eventing," Maria smugly stated as she tossed her hair back.

"So, what's the difference?" James asked.

"She may be top of the line but, that doesn't mean she has what it takes. She's beautiful, yes, but, what can she do?" Maria questioned.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me that when I bought her" James own naïve behavior was finally showing.

"Well, maybe you should get your money back either that or you can test her out. You do know how to ride, don't you?" Maria snidely asked.

"Yes, I do know how to ride" James apprehensively alleged. He knew whatever Maria was plotting it was going to make him regret it later but he was not one to back down from a challenge.

"Good. Now please try to keep up or I will be forced to have to leave you and Jasmine behind and all alone in the wilderness," Maria stated.

"What do you mean be that?" James asked as he watched the way Maria's almond-shaped green eyes sparkled when she looked at him.

"I'm just saying that I don't think that horse you bought has what it takes. If you knew anything about eventing, you would understand" Maria simply stated, thankful that her horse sense far surpassed anything James could even picture.

"Ok. What is eventing?" James asked, knowing that Maria was probably right on everything that she was going to tell him.

"Eventing is basically a very demanding competitive sport that combines three disciplines of riding. They are show jumping, dressage, and cross-country jumping. Star is highly qualified to do this sort of sport but we do not have any affiliation with the major competitors. It's just not our style," Maria stated.

"Oh" James sounded very disheartened when he heard Maria's statement and realized that they were of two different worlds but he would never tell her that.

"Look, I already heard from my father about what your father and mine have done. I do not like it and I especially do not like you. So, if you think that I'm going to come willingly, you can just wipe that sappy smile off of your face and get over it" Maria stated as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" James started to say, "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"Let me think…No! Especially not after that last time I was over at your place" Maria bluntly reminded him.

"I didn't hear you complain when I kissed you" James rudely commented. He still had dreams about the night of his eighteenth birthday when he pulled Maria into his arms and kissed her full pouty pink lips.

"Actually, I did, with my knee!" she harshly reminded him. She never forgot his face whenever she brought her knee up between his legs and let his groin have it with everything she had in one shot.

"Oops" Star chuckled softly and then cocked his tail over to one side. "Excuse me whilst I leave James a present."

Maria's eyes nearly bugged out of her head_. Nah, Star would not dare. Yes, he would. He is a horse after my own heart. Good boy._

"I guess Star just gave you his opinion," Maria laughed as she watched James' nose crinkle up in disdain over Star leaving a huge pile of manure.

"I'll…catch you…some other time" James coughed as he gracefully walked out the front door of the barn.

"Smooth, I like that in a horse" Maria said as she ran a hand up and down Star's neck.

"I know," he said as he began to walk out the back door of the barn.

"You know something, Star, I think we're going to be great friends," Maria whispered as grabbed a firm hold of Star's mane and wrapped her legs more snugly around his girth.

"Me too!" he said cheerfully as he started to trot through the field


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

As Maria brushed the dust, dirt, and loose hair off of her black stallion, Star, she listened closely to the judges as they rattled off the scores of each one of the contestants. She knew that she had a fair to decent shot of at least getting second place but, she never counted her chicks before they were hatched. Especially now that this was her last year of competitions.

She had decided to go into breeding with Star. Maria felt as though she would definitely make more money this way than she would if she had decided to stay in the show ring. Besides, Star, would more than likely enjoy breaking a sweat with a mare than out in the show ring.

Star was a magnificent pure Arabian black stallion with a lone white star-shaped marking on his forehead.

Maria was still listening for their scores as she began to gently whisper to Star. She always thought it was kind of weird that she could talk to him, or for that matter, any animal and they were able to answer her back. She never told anyone of her unique abilities except for her mother and her best friend, Reva.

"What are you thinking about, big fella?" Maria asked as she gently stroked his muzzle.

"About your upcoming wedding, Maria" Star answered as he leaned into her small hand.

"Oh…that" Maria began to reflect on her upcoming marriage to James. James Derrick Nelson was his full name and he loved to flaunt his name as well as his wealth around town.

"You have one more month left before you have to hang yourself or him. One of the two" Star replied, sensing her unease with her upcoming nuptials.

"Preferably him" Maria sarcastically noted as she tossed Star's brush into his tack trunk.

"Hey now! Don't break my favorite brush" Star humorously stated as he gently used his nose to bump Maria on her shoulder.

"Sorry. I guess, I'm just very stressed out. I would like nothing more than to see him gone" Maria said as she turned to look at Star. She watched him as he cocked his head to one side.

"You do realize that he was in the stands" he said, with a little bit of humor in his voice.

"Yes but, why? What have you got in mind?" Maria asked as she turned up one corner of her mouth.

"Oh, no reason." Star started to say as he walked towards the judges' tables.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Maria asked as she caught up with Star and grabbed hold of his reins.

"Our names were called for first place" Star coolly stated as he began to pick up each of his hooves in a very professional manner, cocked his tail up into the air, held his head up, and pricked his ears up.

"We got first place?" Maria asked.

"Would you expect anything less out of such a fine stud like me?" Star jokingly asked.

"Nope." Maria started to whisper, "Now what was it that you were thinking 'fine stud'?"

"Nothing much, just the fact that I spied a shovel leaning against a wall and I know James will be coming to see you in the barn. It would be such a shame if he had a misfortune strike him" Star commented.

"I think I get the picture with a big pile of horse manure that has his name written all over it" Maria quietly chuckled as they continued to walk towards the judge's table, all the while she was trying to keep a straight face.

"I'll make sure that it's nice and warm for his face mask" Star said.

"Sounds like a plan" Maria agreed as she waved to the cheering crowd. She also waved to her parents, who were sitting in the front along with her fiancé.

As they reached the judges' table, Maria suddenly realized that she hadn't prepared a speech. _Oh well, I guess I shall just have to wing it. I wasn't anticipating having to do a victory speech._

"May I have the privilege of introducing our grand prize winner at this year's annual horse show? The lovely young lady Marianna Alexandria DuPoi and her magnificent black stallion, Star. Here you go Miss DuPoi," the elderly judge said as he handed her a check for five thousand dollars and the microphone, "Would you kindly make a speech to the crowd."

"Thank you, sir" Maria said as she felt her stomach begin to tighten up.

"I'll have every one of you know that I didn't have a speech prepared. I wasn't anticipating winning today. So, you will have to please forgive me if I stumble over my words while I try to think of something else to say" Maria said as she felt a tear begin to trickle down the side of her face.

"Be sure to thank everyone, especially your parents. Then talk about your plans for the future" Star quickly commented.

"I wish to thank all of you for being here on such a hot day. I also wish to thank my parents for their support throughout the years. Through good times and bad, they have been there for me and helped me to achieve all of my goals. I am also sad to say, that this will be my last year as a competitor. I have made plans to retire from the show ring. Again, I thank each and every one of you for being here today. Now, I am going to start enjoying my retirement" Maria sadly said as she handed the microphone back to the judge and walked away from their table.

"Don't worry, Maria, everything will be alright" Star softly spoke as he walked beside her.

"I hope you're right" Maria whispered as she ran a hand up and down Star's neck.

Maria and Star had walked back to the barn to set a small trap for her fiancé, which was a shovel left laying out in the middle of the floor and a fresh pile of manure, compliments of Star, and pack up the remainder of their equipment. She had just finished packing up their stuff when Star spoke.

"Jerky moneybags, coming this way" Star whispered as walked into the two horse trailer, which was out of James' sight.

"My Maria, you make such a lovely speech to everyone in the crowd but, choose to leave me out of the picture. Now why is that?" James questioned as he touched her cheek with his freshly manicured hand.

"You should know by now that I always leave you out of the picture" Maria coolly stated as she pulled away from his hand and grabbed the last few tack trunks and then placed them into the front section of the trailer.

"That still didn't answer my question" James said as he watched the way Maria's slightly rounded hips swayed.

"Look James, you and I both know how I feel about you. I just don't think you're all that great a person nor do I find you interesting. This is why I choose not to say anything about you or to you" Maria stated as she grabbed her backpack out from behind the front seat of her truck.

"Oh, but if you would only take a chance to get to know me you would find out why all the ladies in town adore me" James used his most convincing tone of voice.

"Or why it is they only pretend to adore you but, in reality, they laugh behind your back. Just like I do" she maliciously chuckled as she walked towards the bathroom.

"If you need any help…" he started to say.

"I would rather have a rattlesnake in here with me than you" she cut him off before he had a chance to finish his obnoxious statement and then slammed the door behind her.

Maria had always found James' attitude, as well as himself, very vile. She always thought of him as being very attractive man if not for the fact that he thought of himself as God's gift to women. He had beautiful, highlighted, blonde hair and normally dark brown eyes, but he usually wore blue contacts. Maria noticed that he had recently been to the tanning because, his skin was slightly darker. She also noticed that his trainer had been working with him a bit more lately because, his navy blue three-piece suit was a little more snug today than it had been a month ago.

"Ouch! That was a low blow" he whispered. James loved to watched Maria walk away from him, especially when her titian red hair licked at her softly rounded hips.

He had always thought of Maria as being very lovely. Her face was a very classic heart shape with full pouty lips, almond-shaped emerald green eyes and a delicate pin-straight nose that she liked to wrinkle up every so often. Her body was just as beautiful as her face, with her perfectly curved long legs, slender yet slightly rounded hips, a waist that so narrow that if he were to place his hands on it they would span completely around it, and an ample bosom that was just slightly to big for her five-foot-six-inch small framed body.

"It was meant to be" Maria stated, very sarcastically, from behind the closed door as she pulled her black jeans on and then tucked in her white tank top. Then she grabbed her tanned cowboy boots and pulled them on. Before leaving the bathroom, she stuffed her show clothes into her faded denim back pack, grabbed her blue jean jacket, and placed her western hat on top of her head. _Oh, I dread having to face him but, at the same time, it should prove to be very interesting._

"Out already?" James questioned as he watched Maria step out of the bathroom. He couldn't help but stare at her in awe as she walked passed, completely oblivious to his existence.

"So, and you're point is?" Maria questioned.

"No point. You know, you aught to come by my place this evening and have dinner with me" James said.

"Just what makes you think I would want to do something like that?" Maria asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Well, we are to be married at the end of the month and I just thought that you would like to spend some quality time together with me" he smiled as he started to follow behind her.

"Well, you thought wrong. Good day to you James and please, try not to let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" she snidely commented with a Cheshire cat grin as she briefly glanced back at James, who was trying to catch up with her fast paced walk.

"Oh!"

Maria heard James shout out. She turned around only fast enough to watch him trip over a shovel and fall face first into a huge pile of fresh manure.

"Next time, don't try to hurry over ground that you do not know" Maria laughed as she walked out to her truck.

"Nice work. We make a great team" Star commented as he looked out the back of his trailer.

"Let's go home" Maria said as she patted Star's muzzle.

"I couldn't agree with you more" Star whispered.

"Oh great! Just my luck. It's raining" Maria snarled as she watched the rain drops hit her windshield. She turned her wipers and headlights on as the rain pelted her vehicle even harder.

"There has to be a place to pull over to be able to wait out this storm" Maria mumbled as she continued to drive but, at a much slower pace.

"Jack-pot!" she exclaimed as she spotted a sign for a rest area that was about a mile up the road. _It will have to do until the morning. I know Star must be frantic by now. He has always hated storms, ever since he got caught in one when he was a foal. _

Maria carefully pulled into the rest area and parked. When she got out of her truck, she could hear Star going crazy.

"Star" Maria spoke softly as she entered through the side door on the horse trailer.

"About time. I thought I was going to be barbecued horse meat!" Star exclaimed.

"Aren't we being a little melodramatic? It's just a rain storm that will be gone in the morning. But, for right now, we will spend the night in this rest area" Maria said soothingly as she rubbed Star's neck.

"Good thing. Please tell me you are going to spend the night back here with me and not up in the truck." Star nervously stated as he leaned into Maria's tiny hand.

"Yes, I am but, I need to retrieve a few things from up front. Do you think you can survive for a few minutes without trying to tear up the trailer?" Maria asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, I can do that" he said.

"Good boy. I'll be back in a few minutes" Maria said as she stepped out the side door and quickly walked back up to her truck. She grabbed her backpack, cooler, and truck keys before locking the vehicle's doors. She quickly walked back to the trailer and opened the side door.

"See, I wasn't gone long" Maria smiled as she stepped inside the trailer and placed all of her belongings onto the trailer floor.

"Thank you for staying back here with me" Star said.

"I'll tell you one thing darling, that rain is very cold" Maria commented as she rummaged through her backpack and retrieved her knee length aqua sleep shirt.

"I'll turn my head. No offense, humans just don't turn me on. Now, if you were a red-headed horse, that would be a completely different story" Star nonchalantly commented as he turned his head.

"Very funny. I almost thought I was beginning to wear you down and that I was on your list" Maria chuckled as she stripped off her wet clothes and pulled her sleep shirt on.

"Are you done yet?" Star asked.

"Yes, you can turn your head back around" she said as she hung her clothes up over a metal rod that ran down the center of the trailer. Maria was thankful that the bar could be moved around to allow Star an area to lie down. After situating her clothes on the rod, she maneuvered it to where it was against one side of the trailer.

"Please don't forget the blankets" Star complained as he laid down, curling himself into a somewhat fetal position.

"That's what I was getting ready to get, you oversized foal" Maria chuckled as she reached into an upper compartment at the back of the trailer and pulled out three blankets and a pillow.

She laid one of the blankets over Star, one blanket over the pile of hay beside Star, and the other blanket off to the side. Maria then placed the pillow at one end of the make-shift bed and sat down on it.

"Don't forget to call mom and let her know what's going on" Star noted as he began to try to get comfortable.

"Thanks for reminding me" Maria said as stretched over to reach her backpack and drug it over onto her bed. Reaching into the front compartment, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed home.

"Hello"

"Hey mom, it's me" Maria cheerfully spoke.

"Where are you at?" Cathy questioned.

"A severe rain storm came out of nowhere. You know how Star gets when it starts raining" she said casting a sarcastic yet humorous glance at Star.

"Oh yes. How can I forget about the way that poor baby gets whenever it starts raining. Poor thing" Cathy cooed.

"Tell mom that I am doing fine and to quit coddling me. I'm not a foal anymore" Star said.

"Star wanted me to give you a message" Maria said.

"I know. 'Quit trying to baby me. I'm not a foal anymore.' Is that about right?" Cathy asked with a light humorous tone in her voice.

"Pretty close"

"So, what time tomorrow will you two kids be home at?" Cathy asked.

"Whenever we get up" Maria answered.

"Oh. Well, I do have another question for you. What happened to James?" Cathy could barely stop laughing.

"Well, he had a little incident with a shovel and a pile of Star's high quality manure" Maria chuckled.

"Did he fall or did you give him a shove into it?" Cathy asked.

"A little bit of both. I forgot to put a shovel away and there just happened to be a fresh manure pile with James' name written all over it. As you can see, it was clearly accidental" Maria stated as calmly as she could without bursting into a giggle fit.

"Oh, so that's what happened. Don't worry, I won't tell him that you had any involvement with his unfortunate accident" Cathy regained her calm composure but, still maintained a hint of a smile.

"Thanks mom. Well look, it's getting late and I still have another couple of hours to drive in the morning" Maria yawned.

"Be careful, sweetie. I love you and I will see you sometime tomorrow"

"I will and I love you too, mom" Maria said as she hung up the phone.

"You have not been sleeping well" Star mentioned as he watched Maria yawn and then laid her head down on the pillow, drawing the third blanket over the length of her lithe body.

"No, not really. I've been having strange dreams" she softly commented.

"What kind of dreams?" Star asked.

"I was dreaming about this really handsome blonde headed guy with really gorgeous sky blue eyes. The funny part is that I have never met the man before in my life and yet in my dreams he's…" she started to say but, feared the embarrassment.

"He's…What?" Star questioned as he raised his head up and looked at Maria.

"He's making love to me. His voice just flows through me like smoke, except its sweet like honey. I know it sounds weird because, you know I don't like men that well. Actually, I just don't like James" Maria sighed.

"Any other dreams?" Star asked.

"I have also had a weird dream about a crystal castle that located between to huge mountains and about an alien race. Well, make that several alien races. Oh, and that guy I was telling you about, he was alien to" Maria excitedly said.

"How do you know that guy was an alien?" Star asked.

"I don't know. There was just something about him that seemed to be other worldly" Maria calmly stated.

"Maybe what you're seeing is the future. You ever think about that?"

"Sometimes. I sometimes hope that he isn't real and yet at the same time I hope he is" Maria lamented.

"If he is, that would be great for you. If he isn't, then you know you've officially hit the loony bin list" Star chuckled.

"You're some help. Well, let's get some rest" Maria softly commented as she closed her eyes, hoping to be able to dream about her handsome dream lover.

"Good night" Star quietly said before he realized that she was already asleep. _Sleep well, Princess. May all your dreams come true?_


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the review CittyGirl. It is also very good to be back. This is actually a real book that I have been working on for the last couple of years and I am right now letting people see what they think about it.

Chapter 2

As Thane awoke from another dream about an unknown flame haired woman, he wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead. He had been having dreams about her for the last two weeks and each time they left him with a feeling of longing. Every morning that he awoke, Thane would pull out his sketchpad and colored pencils and begin to draw the red headed woman with the vivacious emerald green eyes.

Thane could recall every minute detail about her: her pale ivory skin, the heart-shape of her face, her almond-shaped eyes that were fringed with long thick lashes, and her lips. Her mouth was a delicate shade of a pink rose, full and pouty. In all of his dreams, her mouth would open to say something to him and yet no words came out.

He remembered the feel of her small hands in his as they ran through long metal corridors. Those corridors that he had seen repeatedly aboard the Dacronians' war ship, the Dacronis. However, this last dream he had seen her dressed in white with a mischievous grin on her face and a man standing in front of her who looked as though he had been shoved in the mud.

Just then, Thane heard a knock on his metal door.

"Who's there?" Thane asked as he reached beneath his pillow and grabbed his laser pistol. It became a ritual for him to sleep with a loaded gun under his head. He hated to be caught off guard.

"Vladimir" he said.

"Come in" Thane said as he placed his gun back under his pillow and then swung his legs over the side of the bed. He shivered slightly when his bare feet hit the cold metal floor.

"Dreaming again?" Vladimir asked as he entered his brother's room.

"How could ye tell?" Thane asked as he ran a hand through his golden blonde hair before looking up at his brother.

Vladimir Aries Santalaceto was Thane's oldest brother. He was only older than Thane was by three years, making Vladimir twenty-eight. He stood about six-foot-five with very short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and cocoa colored skin. Vladimir's all muscle body weight topped the scales at around two hundred thirty-five pounds.

Thane always got a laugh out of his older brother whenever they went anywhere. Vladimir was always polite to every woman whom they ran across, especially when it came to helping little old women across the street. He had a charm that made females on their home planet of Mars fall in love with him.

In addition, his kindness made him turn down the Captain's position. Vladimir knew that he would not make it as a Captain. It would require him to make a decision that could jeopardize the lives of his crew. He did not want to live with that sort of disgrace on his record or in his heart. He knew he was better at taking orders than giving them.

"I heard your infamous scream when I walked by your room. Let's just hope that Peron didn't hear anything or else ye'll never hear the end of it," Vladimir coolly stated as he watched his brother try to collect himself.

"Aye, I can totally agree with you on that," Thane grunted out the last portion in agreement with his brother.

"Did you see her again?" Vladimir asked as he closed the door behind him and then leaned his shoulder against the metal wall.

He had also been dreaming about a young lady, except that she had dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes. But, her overall appearance was very similar to that of the mysterious woman that Thane dreamed about. He had seen her onboard a plane and then walking down the isle with him.

But, the mood changed from time to time, from being very romantic to being very intense. He had also seen her battling against their enemies. She fought like one of the Desert Warriors. He knew, deep in his heart, that she would be the only woman for him.

"Aye, she looked different this time" Thane confided. He knew Vladimir would never tell their younger brother, Peron, anything about their personal lives.

Peron never missed a chance to humiliate either of them in public. Peron also had a charm of his own, which made the wilder women on Mars want him but it was only for one night, and they promptly forgot about each other by the next day. This was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

Peron was two years younger than Thane was and stood about three inches shorter than Thane's six-foot-three inch stance. He weighed about one hundred ninety pounds of lean muscle and normally sported a jet black Mohawk. His pale lime green eyes were always showing the mischievous side of his personality.

Because Peron was reckless, he was never offered the Captain's position. He liked to take to many chances. Act first and ask questions later, was Peron's mode of thinking. Act first was normally, shoot the living daylights out of whatever the moving object was until it quit moving. Ask questions later usually meant, if the moving creature was still alive, interrogate it until it died.

For Thane, it was different. He liked women but not enough to go out of his way to help them or strike up a conversation with anyone of them in a bar. Thane enjoyed it when the women chased him but that never lasted to long. They would normally give up after several attempts to get a date with him.

In addition, because of his persistence, it gained him the Captain's position on board his father's own ship, The Orion. Thane never once allowed his personal feelings to invade his train of thought. He was a quick thinker and even quicker on pulling the trigger. He knew exactly what words to say to make his enemies talk. He had no problems with giving orders. He just had a problem taking orders from certain people.

That was the reason why he chose the single life. No woman wanted to work for him. He gave up on working on getting a woman after his last disastrous relationship when he was eighteen.

He had been chasing after a cheerleader named Mindy for almost a year when she finally accepted a date with him; it was for only one night. Mindy was a blue-eyed, tall, leggy blonde-haired woman who was more than a little wild in the bedroom. She told him that was how she did all men, even the ones who worked as hard as he did. She was not interested in having a long-term relationship with anyone except herself.

Since then, Thane had never tried to get any woman to be with him. Sure, he had his occasional one night stands with a prostitute but, in the morning they were forgotten. The last female he had bedded down with was on the night his twin sister, Charity Gemini Santalaceto, disappeared. Charity disappeared almost six months ago, while she was taking care of her father, who was in the hospital.

The only thing that one of the nurses told them was that the man who took her was not from their home world. She also handed Peron a couple of tapes that had recorded the scene when Charity was taken but they were damaged. It took Vladimir a couple of hours to put the tapes together and clarify the video. When the video was finally pieced back together, they learned that Darrius, commander of the Dacronis, took her.

Thane, Vladimir, and Peron spent the last six months trying to find the Dacronis but to no avail. Darrius made sure that his tracks were well covered. They all remembered that night. Peron was out at the local bar, Vladimir was helping their mother at home, and Thane was out with a prostitute. They all took turns on watching over their father, who was finally released from the hospital last month.

"How was her look different this time?" Vladimir asked.

"She was dressed in a long white gown with a veil," Thane stated.

"You said she looked like an Earther, correct" Vladimir commented.

"Aye," Thane said as he looked up at his older brother.

"A white gown normally signifies a wedding," he stated.

"So, what you're telling me is that what I dreamt about was this girl's wedding day," Thane almost choked out the words when he spoke.

"Is that such a shock? Our ladies get married in white if their still virgins," he stated with a light laugh.

"Aye. You're right. I hate it when you're right"

"You better get dressed. I think I hear the infamous page of Mars from Admiral Zocar," Vladimir stated.

"Good idea," Thane agreed as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

"Did ye tail go numb again?" he asked as he watched his brother pull his tail out from under him.

"A little," Thane stated as he massaged his tail, trying to get the feeling back into it.

Most of Mars knew that Thane and his twin sister were only half-Martian. Their mother was full-blooded human. A hot-tempered Irish human at that. Their father was a Martian warrior who had rescued their mother from slavery about thirty years ago.

Vladimir and Peron were full-blooded Martian and adopted. They sported the fur that covered most of their body with the exception of the sideburns of their face. They also had long pointed ears and antennae. The antennae always matched the color of their hair. They also had long almost mouse-like tails that started at the base of their spines and reached down to the floor, with about six extra inches that lay on the floor.

Thane and Charity only carried a few traits. They had short pointed ears and the antennae. Their body hair was minimal. In fact, their body hair was almost nonexistent. Charity took after the female side of the human world and Thane took after the male side of it. For that, Thane was very thankful.

Thane stood about six-foot-three and weighed about two hundred twenty-five pounds of muscle. He was blessed with his mother's sky-blue eyes and her Irish lilt, along with her unpredictable temper. Both Vladimir and Peron also had their mother's Irish accent but not her temper.

The only chest hair he had was an inverted triangle of golden blonde hair on his lower stomach, which went below his pants and a couple of wavy hairs around his nipples. The rest of his chest was a hairless golden bronze color. His legs also had some hair on them but as his mother put it, "twould not be enough to weave a blanket out of it." Thane almost had to laugh when his mother put it to him like that.

"And, might I add something? Ye look like you've slept on your head. A shower would fix that problem" Vladimir stated as he opened Thane's door.

"A shower sounds like a great idea" Thane agreed as he watched his brother walk out of the room.

Thane stood up and looked around his sleeping quarters. It wasn't much of a room but it was enough to hold a few furnishings. All their rooms were the same. Each room had a twin size bed, a nightstand, and a dresser.

Connected to each room was a bathroom. It had a large metal shower, a three drawer cabinet, a mirror, and a linen closet.

Being that it was a space ship, everything on the inside and outside of it was made out of metal. It also had an automated computer system, which didn't work half of the time. The Orion had one medical room that housed all their medical supplies, ten sleeping quarters that were all identical, a kitchen/dining room that was fully functional, a large gym for unwinding, and a bridge at the front of the ship.

As Thane made his way to the bathroom, he felt as though his head was going to explode. He had been keeping a headache every morning for the last two weeks; ever since he started dreaming about the red-headed woman. Placing a hand to the side of his head, he began to rub his temples and used his free hand to search for a bottle of aspirin. After locating the bottle, extracted two little white pills and quickly dry swallowed them down.

"Now, time to get a quick shower before Peron and Vladimir start up with their obnoxious singing" Thane softly commented to himself as he removed his black silk boxers and quickly stepped into the shower. He shivered when the cool water first sprayed and then it warmed up to a comfortable temperature.

"Too late" Thane grumbled when he heard his two brothers start up with their usual untalented voices.

Thane leaned his head against the wall that had the shower head on it and closed his eyes. He would have given anything for one morning without them singing but, then he would be concerned about their health and wellbeing.

"Hey Thane! What are ye doing?" Peron questioned through the shower wall.

"Trying to ignore the both of ye" Thane admitted.

"Ye know we just have to make your day a happy one" Peron stated as he turned off his shower.

"I know and ye two have become quite talented at it too!" Thane softly laughed as he turned off his shower and quickly grabbed a blue towel off of the metal towel rack beside the shower.

After wrapping the towel securely around his waist he walked out into the hall and found Peron and Vladimir flexing their muscles in their own towels. He leaned up against the metal door frame, with his arms crossed over his chest, and shook his head.

"You're just jealous because I look better in a towel than ye do" Peron stated with a sarcastic smile.

"Ha, I doubt that very much" Vladimir laughed as he bent his arm up and made a fist, causing his bicep muscle to bulge up.

"Well, it's the truth. In fact, I think I look better than both of ye do without a towel on" Peron stated as he removed his towel and then slung it over his shoulder.

"Alright now. Both of ye need to get some clothes on. Peron, I know for a fact that I look better than ye do without a towel on" Thane chuckled as he removed his towel and then walked back into his room.

"Yeah, but I am still the one who gets all the ladies' attention when I walk into a room" Peron grumbled as he walked back into his room.

"Not really because I help all women out whenever they need it" Vladimir stated as kept his towel in place as he walked into his room.

"Oh well, at least I don't have to help any women out in order to get their attention" Peron laughed before closing his door.

"Alright ye two go get dressed" Thane ordered from behind his closed door as he pulled his blue jeans on.

"Aw man, ye take away all the fun" Peron whined as he proceeded to get dressed.

"You're right, its part of my job as captain" Thane chuckled while he put his black leather vest on and then pulled his socks and boots on.

Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out his pistol and his thigh holster and then attached the both of them to his leg. Then he went over to his dresser and pulled out his belt and belt holster and put them on. Being that he left the gun in that holster, he did not need to put his other pistol into it.

After checking both guns, he placed them back into their holsters and then pulled his just-below-shoulder length hair back into a low ponytail. He took one last look around his room to make sure that everything was in its place; he turned off the lights and left the room.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sun was just starting to rise, casting shades of pinks and purples across the soft blue morning sky. Star was still curled up on the trailer floor, enjoying a nice dream about a dapple-grey mare. Maria slept cozily under her blanket, dreaming about the mysterious blond-headed man.

_"Who are you?" Maria asked as she felt the back of his hand brush some of her hair away from her face. _

_There was a slight breeze and the weather was cool but comfortable. In the distance, Maria could see two mountains rising high against the horizon. In between the mountains, there stood a gleaming white crystal palace. Just below the palace, there stood a charming village._

"_Who do ye think I am?" he asked as he snaked his arm around Maria's waist and looked deep into her green eyes with his blue eyes._

"_I don't know" Maria stated as she felt her heart pounding against her chest as he bent down and brushed his lips against her own. She moaned deep in her throat as she allowed her arms to wrap around his neck, pulling her body closer to his._

_It was at this moment that Maria heard the sound of gun fire in the distance. Breaking away from the kiss, Maria looked in the distance and saw smoke rising up in the distance. Looking back at her blond dream lover, she didn't see him; she saw a monstrous beast of a man._

"_You will be mine, Princess" he said as he grabbed her by the wrist and slung her down onto the hard ground._

_Maria looked around and saw nothing but smoke and ashes all around her. She could hear the screams of women and children from down in the village. Maria also saw a massive army invading the unprepared kingdom._

"_As you can see, there is no hope for your people. You can now watch as your last line of defense is ripped to shreds right before your very eyes. The power of the Crystal Chamber will fall and the galaxy will be mine!" the man laughed heinously as he threw his head back before turning his attention back to the battle._

"_No!" Maria screamed as she tried to get up but was suddenly drug away from the kingdom. _

"No!" Maria shouted as she tossed and turned violently, attempting to wake herself up before her dream turned even more violent.

"Maria. Maria" Star called to her and used his nose to nudge her awake.

"Star" Maria murmured when she finally opened her eyes and saw the concerned expression in his dark eyes.

"Yep, none other" Star cheerfully stated but still was very concerned over his mistress's violent reaction to her nightmare.

"Is it morning already?" Maria questioned as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She could still recall fragments of her dream, especially when her dream lover turned into an ugly monster and the attack that took on a peace-loving kingdom.

"Yes it is. Having a bad dream?" Star asked as he stood up and then stretched his legs.

"Yeah, the guy that I was telling you about last night turned into a monster. Just as it was getting good, too!" Maria pouted as she stood up and then rummaged through her backpack to find her clothes.

"Oh really. What happened?" Star asked as he turned his attention to the wall of the trailer, giving Maria the privacy that she needed in order for her to change.

Maria explained to Star what had happened in the dream while she dressed into a long dark purple knit dress that was fitted through the bodice and flared through the ankle length skirt. She also threw on a pair of tan colored sandals.

"Okay, I'm dressed" Maria stated as she pulled a brush out of her backpack and brushed her long red hair.

"Nice look and you know exactly who's going to be checking you out" Star snorted.

"Don't remind me. But, then again, do remind me because I have a special surprise for him when we get home and if he decides to show up" Maria said with a mischievous grin as she tossed her hair brush back into the backpack.

"Okay, I'll definitely make sure that I do remind you of it when I see him" Star affirmed as he turned himself around to face the trailer doors.

"Ready to use the bathroom I take it" Maria stated as she walked to the rear of the trailer and opened the doors.

"You better believe I am. It's kind of tough to sleep longer when you have a bathroom break on your mind. I should say, in your bladder" Star chuckled as he walked out the double trailer doors with Maria following along side him.

"I know that feeling. At lease there is no one else here" Maria started to say before visually locating a ladies bathroom, "I'll be in the restroom for a few minutes, so please keep out of trouble during that time."

"Oh, if I must" Star said as he found a shady spot to do his business while Maria did her own.

About five minutes later, Maria exited the bathroom. She noticed Star was munching on some grass and decided that breakfast was a very good idea before they hit the road.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As soon as Maria and Star finished their breakfast, they quickly got on the road again. The roads were still a little wet from last night's rain. The sun continued to rise, wiping away the traces of the beautiful sunrise that had greeted them earlier that morning.

It took them about two hours before they reached their home. Cathy was already racing down the porch stairs to greet Maria. Harold started to unload Star when James started waltzing down the dusty road.

"Hey, I think this city has become loser central because here comes James" Star softly stated as he allowed Maria's father to lead him out to the field.

"What took you so long to get home, my dear?" James inquired as he watched Maria grab her backpack and cooler out of the front seat of the truck.

"The weather was… how shall I put it… murderous" Maria said as she tossed James a saucy grin.

"Well, if you had called me I would have come to help you out" James growled as he watched Maria place the cooler and backpack on porch.

"Just what makes you think that I would call for your help and allow you to come to my rescue when I am very capable of taking care of myself" Maria snapped as sat back down in her truck.

"I would have if you had asked me too!" James stated as he watched Maria situate herself on her truck seat.

"You might want to move out of the way before your designer suit becomes a designer piece of mud" Maria gave him fair warning as she closed the truck door and then started it up.

She watched as he took the hint and got onto the bottom step of the porch. She saw her mother was waiting at the top of the porch and her father was closing the gate.

Maria then saw Reva standing on the front porch of her house with a big grin on her face. Maria waved and then gave her a thumbs-up. Reva returned the gesture with an even larger smile.

Maria began to back the truck and trailer up to where it would be alongside the house. She could see her target was a large mud puddle and James would be in the perfect position for a facial.

Slowly backing up, Maria could feel the moment she had entered the mud puddle and, very quickly, she hit the accelerator and muddy water sprayed all over James's new suit.

"Oops, I bet you didn't see that one coming" Reva laughed as she made her way across the dusty street with a towel in hand. She held out the towel to James and waited to see what he was going to do.

"One of these days, I am going to get even with her" James growled and then swiped the towel from Reva.

"That will be a cold day in Hell before you are able to do that, Mr. Gunther" Reva chuckled as she watched James try to wipe the mud off of his face before storming off of the porch.

"Shoot, a mud bath would probably do wonders for his complexion" Maria stated as she stepped out of the truck and then locked the doors.

"I have to agree with ya" Reva laughed as she walked over to Maria and then gave her big hug.

"So, how was Boston?" Maria asked as she took a quick look at the truck and trailer. There was mud sprayed all over the sides of both the truck and trailer.

"It was terrible. Everywhere I went, the people reminded me of James. Very stuck-up and self-centered pigs" Reva stated as she tossed her long dark brown hair away from her face.

Many people in their small town mistook Reva for Maria and vice versa because, they looked very much alike. Except for one small detail which was their hair color. Other than that, they bore the same green eyes and facial structure. They even stood the same height. There were many times that they put their hair up under their hats and walked into a store just to see how many people would get them confused.

"It looks as though the truck and trailer are going to need a bath before we go riding" Reva mentioned.

"Yeah, isn't it great? If James comes back then we can hose him down" Maria chuckled as Reva and she walked behind the house and retrieved all the truck washing supplies.

"This is going to take awhile but, it was well worth it" Reva stated as she pulled the water hose out and drug it over to the truck.

"Yep. The trailer does need some work done on it. I need to put a fresh coat of paint on it and fix a couple of boards. It also needs the hinges on the trailer doors greased and the inside completely cleaned" Maria stated as she opened the back trailer doors and showed Reva the mess that her and Star had made from sleeping on the floor.

"You know what? We aught to design a comfortable mattress for you to sleep on so you won't have to waste all that hay" Reva said as she arched an eyebrow at Maria.

"Okay, then let's spend the next week getting this trailer in tip top condition for road trips" Maria said in a very excited tone of voice as they stepped into the trailer and began to unload all of the show tack.

As they unloaded the trailer, Maria told Reva what happened at the show and about all the strange dreams she had been having over the last couple of weeks about the very handsome man; including the one that she had last night. Reva also told her about the strange dreams that she had been having, which also included a very strange but handsome man with very dark hair.

They both expressed the fact that they had seen a large crystal palace in between two mountains and a small village residing below the castle. Reva stated that, in one of her dreams, she actually saw dragons flying the sky. Maria explained that she felt as though that she was living in some sort of magical realm that could never exist on earth.

They both laughed it off and said that they were just fantasizing because of all the wedding jitters. Neither one of them wanted to think that they were going crazy nor that the people in town would think of them as being crazy. But they still couldn't dispose of the feeling that something was about to happen and that it could possibly involve one of them.

"Just think, one more month and you will have access to James's money and can buy all the horse stuff you want, unless he decides to attach strings to that" Reva stated as she began to paint the inside of the trailer while Maria repaired the wooden floor of the trailer.

"I would love to hang him by those strings" Maria grumbled as she hammered down the last loose nail before tossing it onto the ground outside the trailer. After that, Maria walked outside and grabbed the can of dark cherry stain bedside the trailer.

"Afternoon ladies" Star said to Maria as he watched the two girls repair his trailer.

"Good afternoon, Star" Reva cheerfully stated when she saw Star standing beside the fence, neighing at them.

Unlike most people, who would have thought that Maria was crazy because she talked to her horse, Reva never once thought that. She knew that there were strange things out there that could not be explained and she was not about to try to uncover those mysteries. She had known Maria to long to question her sanity.

"Hey big boy" Maria nodded when she saw Star watching her.

"You got that right" Star said as he stretched.

"You're such a cad!" Maria exclaimed as she watched him strut in front of the fence.

"I know but, it takes a lot of work to look this good. Hey, while you two are washing the truck and trailer, why don't you give me a bath? Hate to scare off any potential mares that might be in the area" Star said as he shook the dust off of his back.

"How about this, why don't we run you through the car wash?" Maria chuckled as she watched Star cock his head off to one side in a questioning manner.

"Let's not and say we did" Star answered as he continued to watch the young ladies repair the old trailer.

"It looks like we're going to need to get some tires too" Reva mentioned as she started to paint the outside of the trailer in shiny white paint.

"Okay, those will be last" Maria said as she looked at the worn out tires and then shook her head, knowing that replacing the trailer tires were going to be a job and a half.

"Good question" Maria started to perk up as she looked at the side of the trailer where she could see a lot of white paint peeling.

"What's up?" Reva asked as she came to stand beside Maria.

"Do you think we should get creative with this trailer and actually do some sort of design?" Maria said as she crossed her arms over her chest and then cocked her head to one side, pretending that she was actually looking at the trailer with an artist's eye.

"Well now, it does have that Art Deco look about it" Reva chuckled as she assumed an artist's stance with her hand on her chin, rubbing it as though she were contemplating a piece of artwork.

"I must agree with you on that but, it could still use something to make it stand out" Maria said after of a few moments.

"I think we can work something on it after the paint dries. It will take overnight for the paint to dry so that will give us some time to think about a whole new look for it" Reva said as she crossed her arms.

"That's very true so, let's get this bad boy painted and wash the truck. Then, we'll call it a day" Maria cheerfully stated.

"Okay, let's do it" Reva said as she picked up the can of white paint and two paint brushes.

They each grabbed a paint brush and started to paint the outside of the trailer. After they finished the trailer, Maria disconnected the trailer from the truck and pulled the truck to the back of her house. Then they washed and waxed the truck and allowed it dry.

"Okay ladies, it's time for dinner" Cathy called out the kitchen window.

"Thanks mom" they said in unison as they put all their supplies up for the day and walked inside the house.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Maria and Reva quickly changed out of their dirty clothes and into a pair of jeans and tee shirts. Maria opted to wear a set of black jeans with a white tee shirt and brown cowboy boots. Reva decided to wear a pair of dark blue jeans with a pale pink tee shirt and a pair of black cowboy boots. They both had every intention of going riding after dinner and possibly going for a late night swim in the small pond on the back of Maria's property.

"Did you two girls have fun washing off that trailer?" Cathy asked as she placed a huge bowl of steamy mashed potatoes in the center of the table.

"Always" Reva said as she helped Cathy set the table.

"The trailer still needs a bit more work before it is road worthy but, it's only minor repairs" Maria said as she filled everyone's glass with fresh squeezed lemonade and then placed the pitcher on the table.

"Where's papa run off too?" Maria questioned as she pulled a tray of barbecued chicken out of the stove.

"He's still at the lumber store trying to get the best deal he can for some new fence posts" Cathy stated as she placed a large bowl of cucumber salad onto the table.

"Joyous" Reva mumbled as she set out the plates and silverware.

"Now girls" Cathy said in a drawn out voice that she would normally use for humor and they all started to laugh before they all took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Thank god, real food and not fast food" Reva jokingly stated as scooped out a good helping of mashed potatoes and placed them onto her plate.

"Food, in general, is always good" Maria laughed as picked up a couple pieces of chicken and then placed some salad onto her plate.

"How true" Cathy commented as she passed the potatoes to Maria and she passed her the chicken.

Cathy knew that Harold would probably not be back until late because he was going to repair the fencing on the opposite end of their property. She also knew that Star would not try to escape. He loved his dinner too much along with his favorite female companions.

As Cathy watched Maria and Reva eat their dinner, she couldn't help but wonder when she should tell Maria and Reva about who they really were and why they felt such a strong attachment towards each other. They were better then best friends, they were sisters and it was very obvious. Reva's mother had spoken quite frequently about her daughter's mysterious past and how she came by having her.

Reva, like Maria, was adopted. They both came by way of the stars in small metal capsules. Both of them bore the same necklaces and their features were identical, except for their hair color; Maria's was flaming red and Reva's was dark brown. Their eyes were the same emerald green and shaped like almonds, surrounded by thick dark lashes.

"Hello, Earth to mother" Maria said as she waved her hand in front of her mother's face.

"Oh, sorry. I just had a lot on my mind" Cathy confessed.

"Yeah, tell me about. I have that stupid wedding coming up and all I can think about is that handsome guy that I dream about every single night" Maria stated as she ate some more chicken.

"A handsome guy? Do tell" Cathy inquired as she took a sip of lemonade.

So, Maria began to relate the tale about the mysterious blonde-headed man that she had been dreaming about. Reva even told Cathy about her mystery dream lover that she had been seeing every night for the past several weeks. Cathy listened, with much intensity, and realized that she would definitely have to tell Maria the truth. But, she would wait until after Reva went home so this way they could have a private mother/daughter conversation.

She would tell Reva a little later, after Maria finally adjusted to the idea of having to leave the planet. Cathy knew that there was nothing worse than trying to talk to the two of them at the same time. At least, with only one of them, she could answer all the questions without any problems. But there was nothing worse than two headstrong girls trying to talk over each other.

"Well, I hate to, but I have gotta run. You still coming to the party this Saturday night?" Reva asked Maria as she finished off her glass of lemonade and then placed the glass along with her plate into the kitchen sink.

"You better believe I am" Maria stated with a large grin on her face.

"Okay, see you tomorrow with a new look for the trailer" Reva said as she walked out of the house and went to her home.

"Maria, why don't you get a quick shower and then meet me in the living room. There are some things I need to tell you" Cathy stated as she cleared off the table and started to wash the dishes.

"Why not now?" Maria asked.

"Because, I want to get these dishes done and the kitchen cleaned up so this way I have nothing to do" Cathy quickly stated as she ushered Maria upstairs, with just a glance.

Maria took the hint and went up to her bedroom. As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't think of anything that her mother needed to tell her. Her mother told her everything. There weren't any secrets between them.

As she opened her bedroom door, Maria looked around her room. Everything was still in place. Her walls were painted in beige with dark brown horses stamped all over her walls. Her curtains were white eyelet lace. Her walk-in closet still held all of her clothes.

Looking out the window, she could see Star rolling around in the dirt. He looked very pleased with himself as he shook off the dust and then snorted.

_I wonder what could be so important that my mother has to tell me. She tells Reva and me everything. We're closer than any mother and daughter that I know of. So what is the big secret?_ Maria thought as she grabbed a pale blue nightshirt that has a wide comfortable cut with a two-button placket, rounded hem and white edge binding.

She walked down the hall to the bathroom and then closed the door. The bathroom was average in size with a double sink, toilet, and shower/tub. Opposite the double sink was a linen closet that was about five feet long and two foot deep.

Maria reached into the closet and pulled out two fluffy green towels. After she tossed the towels onto the sink, she turned on the shower and then quickly shed out of her clothes. Maria tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper and stepped into the warm shower.

All the while, Maria kept thinking about her mystery dream man and what her mother had to tell her. She also wondered if Reva's dream man was connected to hers.

She let out a heavy sigh as she quickly washed up and then got dressed. She then brushed her wet tresses and braided her long hair into a single braid down her back.

Maria exited the bathroom and walked down stairs, hoping that her mother was ready to talk to her about what was going on.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As soon as Maria entered into the living room, she saw her mother sitting on the couch with a large metal tube on the floor beside her. Cathy patted the couch, letting Maria know for her to sit down beside her.

"Okay mom, what's going on?" Maria quickly asked as she sat down beside Cathy.

"I had hoped that I would have had more time to tell you about this" Cathy started to say as she turned to face Maria.

Maria could see the sadness in her mother's eyes and knew that whatever it was the Cathy was about to tell was not going to be good news.

"What? What is it?" Maria asked.

"You must promise that you will not interrupt me until I have finished" Cathy stated as she wiped a tear off of her cheek.

"Okay, I can do that" Maria said.

"You must understand that I have held onto the secret for the past eighteen years because I wanted you to grow up leading a normal life. It is apparent to me that your normal life is about to be turned upside down by forces that I can not even begin to explain about" Cathy turned her head toward the silver tube at her feet and then looked back at Maria.

"Your father does not even know that truth. No one does, except for Reva's mother" Cathy watched as Maria's grew wide.

"Mom, you never keep secrets from me. What is going on?" Maria asked, trying to digest what her mother was going to tell her.

"All in good time" Cathy started to say, "Like I said, this story goes back eighteen years ago. You were about six months old when I found you in the strawberry patch behind the house. Your real mother and father died trying to save your life from a war on Saturn" Cathy stated as she pulled out an old envelope and handed it to Maria.

"Are you telling me that I am adopted?" Maria asked as she opened up the envelope and read the words. There it was the plain truth about her past and her mother's big secret.

"That's not all. Reva is also adopted and she's your sister. Her mother and I agreed to keep this secret, after we realized who the both of you were, until you both were old enough" Cathy sighed.

"So, you've kept this from me because of my real parents?" Maria could hardly swallow from the lump that was forming in her throat.

"Yes. I wanted to wait until you were close enough to eighteenth birthday. This way, you would at least be understanding enough not to get angry over this. Besides, I didn't think you would be able to contain yourself. Once you got adjusted to the idea that you don't have to marry James" Cathy chuckled as she grasped both of Maria's hands and smiled.

"Oh, because my real parents were a king and queen, that makes me a princess. Hey, I can make my own rules and tell James to take a hike" Maria almost laughed as she threw her arms around Cathy.

"How true?" Cathy laughed.

"But, does that still make you my mother?" Maria looked at Cathy.

"That's up to you. Whatever decision you make is yours to keep" Cathy smiled.

"Then I will. You are the only mother I have. You raised me for most of life and saved me from a horrible fate. Even though my real mom and dad got me off the planet but, you saved me too!" Maria exclaimed as she held onto Cathy for dear life, fearing that she might loose her.

"And you are the only daughter I have ever had" Cathy held Maria close to her and stroked the back of her head.

"But, I do have a nice idea and it would make such a beautiful grand finale for James to see" Cathy said with a large grin.

"What mom?" Maria questioned as she looked up at Cathy.

"Let's keep the wedding date. But, before you say 'I do', say 'I don't' and run out the side door of the church. That would leave James speechless and let's see him try to keep up with your truck. Besides, I want to make sure you have a plane ticket out of here and have all your bags packed" Cathy stated as she lifted the tube up and then stood up.

"Sounds like a plan to me" Maria grinned as she stood up and followed her mother up to her bedroom.

"Let's get all your stuff packed up and then move it into the truck. But, we'll leave about a week's worth of clothes that you can change into until the wedding. When you reach the airport, you can then change out of your dress and into some comfy clothes" Cathy stated as she placed the tube onto Maria's bed and then walked down stairs to her room.

She pulled out two large suitcases and then lugged them up to Maria's bedroom. Maria was busy yanking all of her clothes out of her closet. Cathy set one of the suitcases onto her bed and began to fold up all of the clothes. She neatly placed all of the shirts into one suitcase and all of the dresses and pants into the other suitcase.

She watched as Maria opened each of her dresser draws up and pulled all of her underwear, socks, and bras out. Maria deposited them onto the bed and then grabbed another suitcase out of her closet. She placed the suitcase onto her bed and then dragged the other two into her closet, along with the silver tube.

"I hope you didn't forget anything" Cathy laughed as she placed all of Maria's undergarments into the third suitcase.

"Nope, and I still have a week's worth of clothes in my closet" Maria smiled brightly as she assisted her mother with the last few articles of clothing and the zipped her suitcase shut.

"Geez, next time remind me not to allow you to have so many clothes. But, then again, most of them are for shows" Cathy chuckled as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"How true?" Maria sighed as she sat down next to her mother and laid her head on Cathy's shoulder. She felt her mother wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Well, how about some ice cream?" Cathy asked as she released her hold on Maria and stood up.

"That sounds awesome" Maria cheered as she stood up and walked out the door. She watched her mother turn the bedroom lights off and then closed the door.

Maria turned when she heard her father close the front door. She knew that her mother and father had not spoken to each other in almost two years and neither one of them was about to give. Her father had also spent the last two years sleeping on the couch.

Maria was normally the one who relayed messages between the two of them, except in public. At least, in public, they were polite enough not to allow their personal feud to interfere with what they did outside the house.

Maria always hoped that one of these days they would resolve their differences and start to lead a normal life again. She could recall every time that her father came home from the range, he would be so happy to see her mother, that he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the back of her neck. She could also remember the amount of times that she would go into the living room to see them cuddled up on the couch watching a movie and eating popcorn.

That seemed like ages ago even though it was only two years.

Maria let out a heavy sigh and then walked down the stairs. She saw her father heating his dinner up in the microwave. Maria watched as he turned and his eyes followed Cathy with a look that Maria was always happy to see. It was obvious to her that her father still loved her mother, even with everything that had happened.

She just wished that there was a way to bridge the massive chasm that was forged between them.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

About a month had passed since that night Maria and Cathy talked, and with each passing day, Maria found new ways to keep herself happy. And, even more ways to keep James at arm's length and sometimes even further.

Between her and Reva, they never stopped doing what they liked doing best, which was riding horses across the hundred acres of field behind Maria's house. They even spent many lazy afternoons swimming in the large pond on the back portion of Maria's land.

In the evenings, Cathy would spend some time making sure that both Maria and Reva's dresses would fit them. It became very difficult to keep up with two girls who were always on the go but, were in better shape than most of the girls in town. They spent most of their free time, during summer vacation, either riding horses, swimming, or in karate classes.

The next night, while Harold was still at work, Maria and Cathy took all three suitcases down to the truck and placed them in the back seat. Before putting the suitcases in, Maria folded the seats up onto the insides and then placed them into the floor board of the truck. It took Maria and Cathy both to pull the leather tarp over the top of them, giving her floor board the appearance of having a bench seat.

It was now nearing dawn and Maria was lying in bed, tossing and turning. She had not had much sleep during that night or for the last week. The only thing that kept from having a terrible night's sleep was the fact that she kept dreaming about that handsome man who invaded her dreams every night for the last several weeks. Every so often, they would turn into nightmares about the other creature.

Tonight was quite different. She had tried to close her eyes but was unable to sleep because of the nervousness that she was feeling.

Finally, after trying to fall asleep all night, Maria got out of bed and put a bathrobe on. She was snuggled up in soft, cotton thermal loungewear that was aqua in color and adorned with playful horses. Her shawl-collar robe had cuffed sleeves, two pockets, and it self-tied.

As she put her robe on, Maria walked out of her bed room and down the stairs. Her feet were cushion by thick carpet as she moved noiselessly through the quiet house.

"Good morning. You're up early" Cathy said as she handed Maria a cup of coffee.

"So aren't you" Maria commented as she accepted the cup and yawned.

"I guess you're pretty stressed out about what today is going to bring" Cathy mentioned as she motioned for Maria to follow her out onto the front porch.

"You could say that" Maria said as she sat down on the top step of the porch. Cathy joined her.

"Just remember who you are and that Reva and I will be right behind you" Cathy stated as Maria laid her head onto her shoulder and half-way closed her eyes.

"See that beautiful sunrise" Cathy stated as she pointed toward the sky.

The sun had painted a picturesque scene. The sky was filled with pale yellow and pink. There were a few clouds that dotted the horizon. Other than that, the sky was still dark blue velvet dotted with sparkling diamonds all embedded into the sky.

"Yeah. It is something" Maria lamented as continued to watch the sun creep slowly above the horizon and start to lighten up the world below it.

"I think today is going to be a perfect day" Cathy stated as she placed her cup down onto the wooden porch and then wrapped both her arms around Maria's shoulders. She felt Maria sigh with the comfort that she felt in her mother's arms. Cathy knew, at that very moment, that nothing was ever going to keep Maria from being her daughter.

"I think so too" Maria tried to sound excited but, deep in her heart she was afraid.

She had never been more than a day's journey away from her mother and now, she was going to be weeks away. She was going into uncharted territory for her. No one was going to be with her and she felt very alone. She felt pulled between her family and a place that she had never known. Her whole world had been turned upside down in the last several weeks. One day she was just a normal girl who was planning an unhappy marriage, the next she was a princess with a huge unknown future that was waiting for her.

"Scared?" Cathy asked as she sensed a change in Maria's mood.

"I think I have never been this scared in my entire life" Maria said as she look up at her mother and found her mother's eyes looking down at hers. What she saw lurking in those soft purple depths was sadness and love, something that had always been but she had never noticed it until this moment.

"I know but, I will always be here for you" Cathy said as she gave Maria a tight squeeze, reassuring her that she would always be there for her no matter what.

"I am going to miss you" Maria confessed as she felt a tear trickling down the side of her face.

"I'll miss you to but, I'll be here when you get back" Cathy said as she let go of Maria and then stood up.

"I know and I can't wait until this afternoon" Maria said with a large grin.

She knew that today would be the perfect day for her to get even with James for everything that he had ever tried to do.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As Maria stood in front of the full length mirror, she couldn't help but see that she no longer looked like a horse-girl. She thought she looked like a princess.

The dress was white satin with loads of Battenberg lace all over the place. The ballroom skirt hung down to the flood with a long train dragging behind it. The back had a heart cut out with strands of pearls hanging over her partially exposed back.

Her red curls were pinned up on top of her head. Her rhinestone and faux pearl tiara glittered like fire next to her hair. Her hair made a sharp contrast between the white satin and lace and the fire on her head.

Her green eyes were made even more vibrant with a little bit of mascara and some eye shadow. Her cheeks were made rosy with a hint of blush. A pale shade of pink lipstick was added to make her full lips seem more inviting.

All in all, very little was done to make her overall appearance to make her even more radiant than what she already was. Nothing was done in extreme, except for the dress.

Reva stood beside Maria in a gown of burgundy satin, in the same design as Maria's gown minus the train. She also had a matching tiara that stood out in sharp contrast to her dark brown curls.

She too, wore very little makeup. Only enough to make her best features stand out.

"You look awesome. Too bad you have to marry such a scum bag" Reva chuckled, knowing that she made an interesting impression on James by shoving him into a mud puddle. Unfortunately, her dress also suffered a tear and mud stains across the skirt. Luckily, Cathy came prepared with an exact duplicate of her gown.

"This is very true" Cathy commented as she came to stand between the two of them and placed an arm around their shoulders.

"Well, at least you made a lasting impression on him" Maria commented with a small chuckle.

"That and you'll be making one too" Cathy whispered into Maria's ear and gave her an all-knowing wink.

_How true. _Maria thought as a smiled played across her face. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She just wasn't sure when everything would fall into place.

Maria turned to look at Reva and saw that she was taking a quick glance out in the hall. She followed Reva and her mother as they walked into the hall and then down the rounded staircase. As they walked by the reception, Maria decided to stop and take a quick glance around the room.

Everything was in place for this afternoon. The Marcus' had spared no expense for their son's wedding. The reception was being held in the local hotel. The carpet was a deep wine color, all the tables were covered in lace tablecloths, there were hundreds of green and white candles all over the room, there were imported red roses, fine china and silverware place settings, crystal champagne glasses, and a live musical band, which would be arriving in about an hour.

Maria sighed as she thought about what James was going to do with everything once he realized that he would never be able to have her. She would be gone and living her life as a Princess. She just couldn't wait until Reva joined her along with her other sisters, if she could find them.

"Ready?" Cathy asked as she watched the play of emotions that Maria's eyes showed.

"Ready as I'll ever be" Maria tried to sound happy but was still feeling very alone as she took one last glance at the reception hall and then walked alongside her mother and Reva.

As soon as they stepped outside, the bright noontime sun nearly blinded her. As they made their way to the open church doors, Maria pulled her veil over her face. Reva handed a bouquet of white roses to her and Maria sighed as she reluctantly took the flowers. She felt like throwing them into James' face.

When they made it to the church doors, her father was standing there. He held out his arm and Maria took it without much resistance. She watched through her lacy veil as Reva was escorted to the front of the church and her mother to the front pew.

At the end of the isle, she saw James standing there with a smarmy look upon his face. The preacher stood beside him.

The preacher was an old man with snow white hair and a clean shaven face. He wore a black robe with a white collar and in his hands he held an old leather-bond bible.

The wedding march music started up and Maria was escorted down the red carpeted isle to her fiancé. She felt as though the walls were closing in on her with each step she took.

When she finally reached the alter, Maria realized that she had been holding her breath.

After releasing her breath, she felt a little better but wanted nothing more than to run out the chapel doors.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to day to bear witness to the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Who gives this woman to this man?" the preacher asked in a voice that sounded to young for his age.

"Her mother and I do" Harold stated as he released Maria's hand and walked over to his seat.

Maria looked over and saw that her mother sat on one side of the pew, next to the open side door, and her father sat on the other. She looked past the open door and saw that her truck was parked where she could get to the driver's door without any problems and the door was open.

She would have to thank her mother for setting it up.

Maria barely heard the preacher's words as he spoke until she heard James clearing his throat to get her attention. She looked up through her lacy veil and stuck her tongue out at him.

Maria looked over at Reva and she gave her a knowing smile. Turning her attention back on James, Maria felt at ease for a change of pace.

"Do you, Mr. James Paul Gunther take Miss Marianna Alexandria DuPoi to be your lawfully wedded wife to love, comfort, and keep, forsaking all others, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do" James said.

"And do you, Miss Marianna Alexandria DuPoi take Mr. James Paul Gunther to be your lawfully wedded husband to love, comfort, and keep, forsaking all others, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Maria glanced down at the floor. She knew it was now or never. This was her last chance at freedom. If she didn't run now, she would be forever chained to a man she didn't love.

Her mother had somehow managed to get out into the driver's side of the truck and Reva had quietly snuck into the backseat. She looked up and knew that the time was now.

"I don't" Maria shouted at the top of her lungs before shoving the bouquet of flowers into James's stomach and then racing out the side door of the church.

Her father had tried to catch her but only succeeded in grasping the veil. Jumping into the passenger side, Maria was buckling herself up as Cathy started the truck up and sped out of town.

All three girls blew out a sigh of relief. Cathy for being able to move the truck so quickly, Reva because she had been nervous that Maria wasn't going to make it and Maria for being quick on her feet and not getting caught.

"Well, that will have to go down in the book of world records. Fastest getaway for a runaway bride" Cathy joked as she drove out of down and hit the interstate.

"Here ya go. I figured you would want to change" Reva said as she handed Maria her backpack.

"Thanks" Maria said as she struggled to get the zipper and buttons undone.

"Get back here and let me take a crack at it" Reva said as she scooted over and watched as Maria climbed into the backseat.

Reva assisted Maria in removing the cumbersome wedding dress. Maria changed into a pair of black jeans, a dark blue tank top, white socks, and her favorite pair of brown boots.

"You girls better get comfy, we have about an hour's drive ahead of us before we reach the airport" Cathy stated as she drove.

"Don't worry, we can keep busy" Maria and Reva said at the same before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Maria asked Reva, knowing that she had not said anything to her about the plan between Cathy and herself.

"Well, your mom kind of clued me in on what was going on but, she still hasn't told me everything" Reva hinted.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything once Maria's plane is in the air" Cathy laughed.

"How did the both of you manage to get out without anyone seeing you?" Maria questioned as she braided her long red hair.

"It wasn't easy. We both pretended that we had to go to the little girl's room. Your mom went to the front bathroom and slipped out the front door. I quietly slipped out the back door next to the bathroom" Reva chuckled.

"Well, that explains a lot without having to say a lot" Maria stated as she looked out the side window and watched the traffic.

"Are either of you young ladies hungry? If so, I'll pick you both up something to eat" Cathy asked as she continued to take occasional glances out the rear view mirror to make sure that they weren't being followed.

"Yep, I'm starved" Reva stated with much enthusiasm.

"Same here" Maria agreed as she turned her attention to Reva.

Maria just prayed that she would make it to Saturn without any problems. She had heard rumors that planes would disappear or be destroyed by some unknown force but, there was nothing left to show for evidence that anyone was on board. They also claimed that there was a massive hole on the side of the planes.

Maria let out a sigh of relief when she saw the air port. They had made it without any problems. Maria and Reva both pressed their faces against the windows of the truck to watch as the planes took off and landed.

Reva had been on planes before but, they always fascinated her as to how they took off and landed. Maria, unfortunately, had never been on plane but, Reva always told her that they were a lot of fun unless there was turbulence, which made the plane jostle a bit. But, with the new-age technology of 2199, everyone felt a lot safer flying than they did back in the 21st century.

The planes were better manufactured and a lot larger than what they used to be. Most of pilots were now trained to fly without gauges just in case of emergencies when gauges would possibly fail. If their on board computers ever failed, which they did every once in a while, the pilots normally came to a smooth landing.

There were still plane crashes but, they were not as frequent as they used to be. Normally it was engine failure or lack of experience that caused the planes to crash.

"Ready?" Cathy asked as she parked the truck and turned it off.

"As I'll ever be" Maria murmured as she opened the passenger door and stepped out. She could feel the planes shaking the ground as they took off into outer space.

Maria knew of only ten airports that went into outer space and this was one of them. They were always located in the middle of nowhere, normally in desert. That question always seemed to stick in her mind. Why did they build them in the middle of nowhere even though many people loved to travel to outer space?

She gathered that it was extremely expensive to fly because of the many different adjustments that had to be made to the planes that did go beyond their planet. The planes had to be able to adjust to the difference in gravity, which there was none, and the ability to make oxygen when there wasn't any. On top of which, they had to be built for speed in order to make it from one planet to another without it taking months.

Of course they also had to back log on the food supply because most of these trips were longer than a few hours. Some of them went for weeks, especially if they were going beyond the inner planets.

Very few people went beyond Mars. In fact, Maria only knew of one who did and he died before he came back. The paper claimed that he had a stroke but, Maria thought that there was more to it than that. She felt as though they were trying to cover up something that had happened. She thought that possibly his plane was attacked before he made it to his destination.

But, no matter the cost, Maria was determined to go through with her journey. She had a destiny ahead of her and unknown future that awaited her. She just had to take the plunge and go for it.

"Reva, stay here and guard the truck. If anyone from town shows up, hide it" Cathy ordered as she helped Maria carry her luggage to the airport.

"You can count on me" Reva cheerfully stated as she sat down in the driver's seat.

"Come on, let's get you on that plane" Cathy said as she looked at Maria, who had a far away look in her green eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine" Cathy softly cooed as she placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I know" Maria tried to sound confidant but, it was slowly waning.

"Come on" Cathy urged because she did not know how much time they had before the possibility of someone showing up and stopping Maria's escape.

"Okay, I'll see you" Maria was implying that she would see Reva a lot sooner than her sister realized.

"You better believe it!" Reva tried to sound excited but, deep down, she was worried for her best friend's safety.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. If I can survive James, then I can certainly survive this" she meant that James was, for lack of better words, a living nightmare to be around. This trip, to her, was going to be a piece of cake.

"I know you will. I just wish I knew why you chose to go to Saturn" Reva was still trying to obtain that information but, she knew that Cathy would tell her later, when they had more time.

"I know. I don't understand it myself but, I must go" Maria tried to calm her sister's nerves and her curiosity but, to no avail.

"I know. You had better get going or else you'll miss your flight" Reva said as she hugged Maria through the open truck window.

"See ya soon" Maria cheerfully stated as she waved good-bye to Reva and followed her mom to the airport.

As soon as they entered the airport, there were people all over the place. They were all moving so fast that Maria thought she was going to get lost in the sea of people. She was glad that her mother was there to guide her through the mass of bodies.

She followed Cathy up to the ticket booth and placed her luggage onto the scale. She handed the young man behind the counter her ticket and told him that she would be keeping her backpack with her.

He quickly explained that her flight was going to last about two weeks and that she had a room all to herself. She would have to share a shower with the other women on board the plane. Both of her suitcases would be brought to her room before take-off. All three of her meals were completely paid for during her flight. There were no alcoholic beverages allowed on board. Then he told Maria that if she had any questions to feel free to look through the brochure in her room.

Maria and Cathy thanked the gentleman and walked to the boarding area. Her plane was ready to be boarded.

Maria only saw about twenty people, most of whom were men going on business trips. There were two other women there besides her. They looked to be about in their mid-forties and they appeared to be going on vacation because they were not wearing business suits like the men were.

"Ready?" Cathy asked as she watched Maria's eyes wander around the room.

"Yep. I am a bit nervous but, I'm okay" Maria quickly stated as she held onto her backpack.

"Flight 1500 is now ready for boarding. Flight 1500 is now ready for boarding" a woman's voice said over the loud speaker.

"I guess that's me" Maria said as she watched the other people begin to board the plane. She decided to stay at the back of the line and wait for everyone else to board before her.

"Don't worry. Reva will be on the next flight out, which is in two weeks. You two will be together soon" Cathy reassured Maria as she placed a comforting arm around Maria's shoulder and walked her up to the boarding zone.

"I love you, mama" Maria softly sobbed as she wrapped her arms around her mother. She felt her mother's arms wrap around her and then felt her mother's gentle squeeze, letting her know that it was time to go.

"I love you too" Cathy said as she released her hold on Maria and pointed her in the direction of the ramp.

Maria walked down the ramp and waved goodbye to her mother. She quickly found an open section of seats that she could comfortably sprawl out across if she wanted to, given that no one else sat beside her.

She just couldn't wait until she was able to escape to her private room, away from everyone else. That would be the only chance she would have at gaining some privacy and a chance to be able to think about everything that was going on.

Maria sat down and tossed her backpack into the seat beside her. She decided to take a window seat so she could actually look out and see everything.

She saw several other planes that were fueling up for their flights. There were also people running around doing minor repairs and checking out the planes to make sure that they didn't have any problems. There were also some planes that had passengers boarding them.

"Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff" a female voice came over the intercom.

Maria took the hint and fastened her seatbelt. Everyone else around her did the same. She felt and heard the plane start up. She looked out the window and watched as her plane began to back away from the building. She could feel the plane as it began to turn and head down the run-way. She watched as the plane began to pick up speed and then she felt it take off.

Maria could feel a bit lighter as the plane climbed higher into the sky. That's when she looked down and noticed how much smaller everything was becoming. She could feel her stomach start to roll as she realized that something could go very wrong at any time.

Maria turned her head away from the window and grabbed her backpack. She began to rummage through it, hoping to find something to distract her mind from the flight. She finally came across a romance novel and her CD player with headphones. She pulled both items out, pulled down the shade, and began to read her book and listen to music.

_If I live through this mess, I vow I will never fly again._


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Cathy watched as her daughter's plane took off towards the sky. A hot tear trickled down her cheek and she swiped it away from her face with the back of her hand. She had spent the last seventeen years raising Maria and now, she to basically push her out of the house.

As Cathy turned around and started walking towards Maria's truck, she felt a sudden tug on her heart as she realized how angry everyone was going to be when they found out it was her that helped Maria to escape from the church. But, at the same time, she was very happy that her daughter was finally going to pursue her destiny amongst the stars. She also knew that if Maria was able to, then she would visit as often as she could.

Cathy smiled as she looked at the truck and Reva was still waiting for her. Now was a good a time as any for Cathy to explain to Reva about what was really going on. Reva had been in on Maria's escape plan the entire time but, she did not know why her best friend had to go to Saturn in order to escape an unwanted marriage.

"Has her plane taken off?" Reva asked when Cathy opened the truck door and then sat down.

"Yes, it has. Reva, there is something that I have been meaning to tell you. But, you must swear total secrecy on this" Cathy stated as she turned the truck on and began to back out of the parking spot.

"You have my word. You know you can trust me with anything" Reva said as she fastened her seat belt.

"As you already know, Maria is not my real daughter. Her real mother and father were a king and queen from a distant planet" Cathy paused as she tried to gather her thoughts while she entered onto the interstate.

"I kind of figured that there was something odd about her because she could communicate with Star on such a personal level" Reva was not very surprised by this new revelation about her friend.

"That's not all. You know that necklace that you love to wear that matches Maria's?" Cathy softly questioned.

"Yeah. I don't wear it too often because I am terrible when it comes to delicate jewelry" Reva confessed.

"Do you remember those few times that you wore it?"

"Yes, every time I got around Maria, it would glow and get very warm. Maria's did the same thing!" Reva exclaimed.

"Those necklaces would always do that because you two are sisters. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out when I had you two helping me out in the kitchen that one day and you both had those necklaces on. The only they work is when you are wearing them" Cathy stated, hoping that what she was saying made sense.

"Oh gosh. I didn't know. But, doesn't that mean that I should be going with Maria?" Reva asked.

Reva looked down at the necklace and more carefully examined it. It had a clear crystal jewel in the center of it that was wrapped in silver wire. There was a partial crescent moon that wrapped around the crystal drop. Attached to the partial moon was a silver rope chain.

"I already have your plane ticket and Maria has her cell phone. Your plane leaves out next week. I wish I could have gotten both tickets at the same time so you two wouldn't be separated. That seat was the only one left and it was the soonest I could have gotten it. Go figure, everything works out for a reason" Cathy chuckled as she took a quick glance at Reva, who was looking up at the sky.

"Now, all we have to do is creep into town and pray we don't run into a lynch mob!" Reva stated as she turned around and smiled at Cathy.

"I don't think we'll be that lucky. James is going to be furious when he finds out about what I have done and Harold will probably never speak to me again. Oh well, he hasn't slept in my bed for two years now so this will not make that much of a difference" Cathy laughed.

"Good question. If Maria can talk to animals, what kind of abilities do I have?" Reva asked as she arched an eyebrow at Cathy.

"Have you ever made something happen or something happened that was unusual?" Cathy asked as she continued to drive.

"Sort of…I one time wished that it would snow like it used to up in Boston. Of course, it was in the middle of July and being that we live in Texas I knew that it would never happen. But, about five minutes later, it started to snow. You should remember that because I had been living down here for almost five years when it snowed in July" Reva stated.

"I remember that month very well. You were fifteen when it happened. I thought that was strange but, now I don't think it is" Cathy chuckled.

"So that's my ability. I can manipulate the weather with my mind. Cool" Reva stated.

"Just remember, don't abuse your powers. Use them for the good of others and you can never go wrong" Cathy said with a soft smile.

"Don't worry. I will never forget" Reva stated as she looked back out the window at all the different vehicles passing by them.

"Wait a minute, I just thought of something. If Maria is my sister and she is the daughter of a king and queen, wouldn't that make her a princess? Which would also make me a princess?" Reva questioned as she quickly turned her to look at Cathy.

"You're catching on. Yes, you are correct" Cathy stated with a soft laughed.

"Now that is even cooler than having super powers. I have a sister and I am princess. Way cool!" Reva exclaimed as she leaned over and started to fiddle with the hundred disk CD changer.

"You had better not put any country music on" Cathy warned. She had to listen to country music for most of her life until Reva introduced Maria to the wonders of city music, such as; techno and rhythm and blues.

"Do you honestly think I am that crazy to want to incur the wraith of my sister's mother?" Reva said with a saucy smile.

"If you want my honest opinion on that, then I would have to say yes" Cathy laughed.

"Oh please, I am not that bad. I do like to keep my head attached to the rest of my body" Reva chuckled as she finally found a good techno song.

Since Reva had a very high speed computer with DSL, she was able to download every song right onto her computer and then she would burn all the songs onto CDs. After she loaded the music onto the CD's, she would normally trash the song to make room for another song.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

About a week had past since Maria left her home behind her and she was actually starting to enjoy flying. She had the privilege of meeting various people that were on her flight. The two women were actually on their way to Mars to collect rock samples. The other men were on their way to either Venus or to Mercury to make some business deals.

She tried to spend as much time as she could research Saturn. What she had learned was that no one had ever been to the planet and lived to tell about it. They claimed that the winds were so fierce that no plane could land there. The space probes that had been sent there on numerous occasions never penetrated the storm clouds that encircled Saturn.

Saturn's interior is similar to Jupiter's. It has a rocky core at the center, a liquid metallic hydrogen layer above that, and a molecular hydrogen layer above that. There were also traces of various ices present. It also had a very hot interior, reaching about 21,000 degrees F at the core, and radiated more energy into space than it received from the Sun.

Maria realized that she should have paid more attention in Science class instead of coloring in pictures of Star that Reva had drawn.

Oh well, she couldn't change the past. But, she knew she could make a brighter and better future for everyone. She just had to figure out what she needed to do.

But, no matter the danger, Maria knew she had no choice but to press forward. It didn't that it could possibly cost her life; she just had to keep going.

_Maybe I should give mom a call and see how things are going on the home front._ Maria thought as she pulled out her cell phone and walked towards her room. She knew she had about another hour before dinner would be served which would give her just enough time to see what was going on with her mom and Reva.

As Reva packed for the trip that would take her to Saturn and reunite her with Maria, she saw James yelling at Cathy about something. Reva had just about had enough of his attitude. She decided to take matters into her own hands, when she saw Harold came up behind Cathy and place a hand on her shoulder.

Reva walked out onto her front porch and listened in on the heated conversation.

Since Cathy and she had returned to town that day, James had made it a habit to keep threatening Cathy as well as her for interfering with his marriage plans. Reva thought it was very amusing when Cathy actually backed James into a corner and dared him to try anything stupid.

He backed off until the next day. James had been determined to locate Maria but, with Cathy and Reva keeping their mouths shut about the whole ordeal, he had not been able to get a word out of them.

"Look, we had a deal and your wife screwed it up" James yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Cathy.

"I just did what I felt was right and I explained that to Harold. He understands my logic" Cathy dared James with a look that could have ripped him in two.

"I don't care. We have a legal and binding contract, and I could sue you for the money that my parents shelled out for this" James stated through gritted teeth.

"Then go for it. Maria is over eighteen and there is really nothing you can do about it. Once a person is over the age of eighteen, then the parents have no say so in their lives" Harold stated as he placed his other hand on Cathy's shoulder.

"Harold. You mean to tell me is that you knew about that and didn't even bother to tell me" Cathy turned to look at her husband for the first time in two years.

"Yes, I did. I just wanted Maria to be happy and well taken care of but, I made a mistake and it has taken me two years to realize that. The deal is off and I will repay your father back for everything. But, of course, it was your father's idea to shell out for the wedding and he agreed to that. So, we don't have to pay you back for the wedding but we do have to pay back for the loan" Harold stated.

"Yes, that you do" James stated as he stormed off in the direction of his house.

"Harold, what on earth are you talking about?" Cathy questioned.

"Well, see the deal was that if I could come up with half the money, then the deal would be off and all I would have to do is repay the rest of the loan. I just didn't want to tell either of you that because I thought it would be better for Maria to have a financially stable husband. I have just paid off half the loan today so, James is out of luck on marrying Maria" Harold stated with a small smile.

"Harold, you made me hate you for two years and now you tell me this. I aught to slug you for that" Cathy growled as she tried to walk away from Harold only to have both his hands come down onto her shoulders, keeping her in place.

"I still love you. I will always love you. I would give up my life for you, Cathy" Harold softly stated as he pulled Cathy's back to his chest and then wrapped his arms around her narrow waist.

"I love you too, Harold" Cathy finally sighed and then turned around in him arms. She knew it was impossible for her to resist two years of being without him.

"So, now that this part is settled, you want to tell me where Maria is at?" Harold asked as he buried his fingers into her blond hair. He felt her head tilt up.

"She's gone to Saturn" Cathy softly spoke as she looked up Harold through her thick lashes.

"Why?" Harold questioned, not understanding why Cathy would send their daughter to Saturn.

"I can't tell you that right now. I'll explain everything tonight before we go to bed" Cathy softly smiled up at him.

"Okay. Wait a minute! You said 'we'" Harold had to question Cathy's use of words. She hadn't put the two of them into the same sentence in a while and now she was. He had not even slept in the same bed as her in two years. In fact, he slept on the couch.

"Yes, darling, I said 'we'" Cathy grinned as she slid out of his embrace and then slowly made her way to the porch.

Reva watched the whole scene unfold with her green eyes. She couldn't believe it; Harold actually told Cathy that he stilled loved her. Reva felt a tear tug at her heart when she heard her cell phone ring. She picked the phone up from her carrying case on her hip and pressed the send button.

"Hello?" Reva asked as she turned around and was about to go inside.

"Hey sis!" came Maria's cheerful voice.

"Maria! Oh man it is so good to hear your voice" Reva confessed as she turned around and ran towards Cathy.

"Same here"

"Mom, its Maria!" Reva softly exclaimed, not wanting James to know.

"Maria" Cathy nearly jumped down the porch stairs as she met Reva halfway in the yard.

"Sweetheart?" Cathy questioned as Reva handed her the phone.

"Mom, it's so good to hear your voice too. What's going on? Is papa okay? How is everyone else doing?" Maria quickly questioned as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Not too much is going on here, baby. Reva and I got home and were met with some pretty angry people. Papa is fine. He has actually been very understanding of the whole thing. I haven't told him everything yet. Reva will be leaving on the next plane out to meet you on Saturn. You have only another week to go and you two will be reunited. James is still pissed about the whole ordeal but I didn't need to tell you about that" Cathy chuckled as she and Reva walked into the house.

"Yep, go figure. That was nothing unexpected" Maria commented.

"Lemonade?" Reva asked as she pulled a pitched out of the refrigerator.

"Yes please" Cathy politely stated as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, how's the flight?" Cathy asked.

"It's been interesting. Might I say that I despise take-offs and I can't wait to get this over with" Maria grumbled.

"Sure, but it won't do you any bit of good" Cathy chuckled as Reva placed a glass of lemonade in front of her and then sat down on the opposite end of the table.

"The food is awesome. The people are nice. Most of passengers got off on Mars to change flights. There's only like two people left on board the plane. Of course, I think they could seriously use some soap" Maria commented.

"Oh, major case of body odor?" Cathy asked, taking a sip from her glass.

"Yes, nasty. The smell wasn't anything I could describe. They almost had a rotted egg smell. Totally gross" Maria said as she lay down on the bed.

"Sounds like it. Well, let me put you back on with Reva. I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do" Cathy said.

"Thanks mom. I love you and I will see you soon" Maria said.

"I love you too, baby. Be safe" Cathy calmly stated as she handed the phone back to Reva and then started cooking dinner.

She could hear Reva chatting up a storm about everything that was going on in town. Most of it included James being an idiot. Plus, Reva even told Maria what has been happening between her and Harold.

"Staying for dinner?" Cathy asked when she heard Reva turn off her cell phone.

"You better believe it" Reva excitedly stated as she stood up and began to help Cathy make chicken pot pie.

I wish to send a big CYBER HUG to Cittygirl for her quick and very thoughtful reviews. In answer to your question about the otehr stories, I am looking forward to attempting to work on them in the future but right now my thoughts are not focused on the others, they are focused on this story. Yes, I did notice that you took your stories down but I do hope that you will rewrite them. I do hope that you are not under too much pressure with school. Myself, I graduated in April and within a month after graduating I moved out of my parent's house and in with my finace and his son. So, as anyone can imagine, my story writing time has been cut short.

I hope everyone enjoyed the previous chapters as well as any future chapters. I do want everyone's input and if anyone thinks I should change something in the story, please feel free to say so and I will work on it.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As Maria hung the phone up, she felt more at ease with everything. As soon she glanced around her small quarters, she heard the page for dinner being served at the front of the plane. She loved flying first class, just hated take offs and landings.

Her room was only about ten by twelve feet and painted in pale mint green. It came with a small closet, a twin captain's bed with six draws underneath it, and a four-draw dresser. She made sure that all of her clothes were put away after the plane had taken off and they were finally allowed to get up from their seats.

She was lucky enough to have her own bathroom. The room was only large enough to hold a stand up shower, a toilet, and a corner sink with a cabinet underneath. She placed her hair stuff under the small sink but, not all of it fit under there.

The flight attendants provided her with fresh towels every day, which she thanked them every time they did.

Maria had found many ways to keep herself busy. She made her bed each morning. Then she went up front to eat breakfast with the rest of the passengers. Afterwards, she would take a shower and get fully dressed. She then took her dirty clothes down to the washer and dryer at the front of the ship and washed her clothes. Sometimes, she would take a nap, other times she would converse with the other people on board the plane, and sometimes she would read up on Saturn.

As she stepped out of her room, she met the two foul smelling men who walked straight by her as if she wasn't even there. Maria just rolled her eyes and followed them at a safe distance to the dining area.

Tonight they were serving barbecued chicken with mashed potatoes, peas, and sweet rolls.

As Maria looked at the other two guests, she couldn't help but feel that she knew who they were. She knew it was impossible because she had never seen them before in her life.

She sighed at the niggling feeling that she was receiving off of them and began to eat. She still missed her mother's cooking but, this was definitely second best in Maria's book.

"So, where are you heading to?" one of the men asked.

He was about an inch taller than Maria and was on the pudgy side. He had a full head of white hair and pale blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm going to Saturn" Maria said as she took a drink from glass of water.

"Oh really. Why would you be heading there? No one who goes there ever comes back." The other man questioned.

He carried very similar characteristics to the other man but he was a larger around the middle than the other one and he had dark blue eyes. He also appeared to be about ten years older than the other one.

"Well, what can I say, I love adventure" Maria knew it was a partial lie but she was not about to give anyone information. She did love adventure; just this was not what she would call fun. As far as she was concerned, this was almost a business trip with a little added bonus.

"You must be an adventurous young lady in order to venture out by yourself at such a young age" the first man commented.

"And you? Where are you two heading off to?" Maria asked.

"Us? My brother, Hugh, and I are heading to Jupiter to finish up some negotiations" the younger man said.

"Oh, I didn't know that Jupiter had been colonized" Maria said.

"It really isn't but it is right now at the beginning stages of development. It is an excellent planet to have meetings at" Hugh quickly stated before stuffing his face full of food.

"Okay" Maria agreed before gently sliding her plate away from her.

"Not very hungry this evening are you?" Hugh questioned when he noticed that Maria only finished about half her meal.

"No, I just don't have much appetite right now" Maria said as she stood up and began to walk toward her sleeping quarters when Hugh's voice stopped her.

"Will you join me later this evening? I would dearly love to know more about you" he asked as he lit up a cigar.

"You know, I think I will have to take a rain-check on that. I am not feeling too hot right now" Maria stated, trying to fake a headache as she placed her hand on the side of her head.

"How about breakfast tomorrow morning?" he inquired.

"I'll already be here for that so why are you even asking?" Maria decided it was time to question his motives.

"Of course. How foolish of me. Your company is quite a pleasure compare to that of my brother" he stated.

"Thank you for the compliment" Maria stated as she rose from the table and then gently slid her chair back under the table.

"You are quite welcome, my dear. So, tomorrow around eight?" he asked as he watched Maria start to exit the room.

"I'll be here when they page for breakfast" Maria softly smiled and then left the room, exhaling, sighing with relief that he didn't further pressure her.

"Very lovely young lady, don't you think?" the older brother asked.

"Yes, Hedrick, very lovely" Hugh stated.

"Do you think Darrius would approve of her?" Hedrick questioned.

"Most definitely" Hugh agreed.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"So, Cathy, do you plan on telling me what is actually going on?" Harold asked as he lay down on the bed.

He still had a hard time believing that Cathy would keep a secret from him. Especially where Maria was concerned.

"Okay. Here it is in a nutshell" Cathy started to say.

"You know that it has been eighteen years since we adopted Maria.

"Yes. I am not that old, gorgeous" Harold chuckled as he leaned his back against the head board and watched as Cathy sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I know darling. Well, I didn't tell you everything about how I came to acquire Maria" Cathy softly stated.

"I'm listening"

"Maria is actually not of this planet. Her real parents were killed during a horrible war on Saturn" Cathy quickly stated.

"Wait a moment. So you're telling me that Maria is an alien!?" Harold couldn't believe what his wife has just told him. His own little girl was a being from another planet.

"Yes, that is what I just said," Cathy started to say "But, that is not all."

"I don't think I want to know"

"Oh yes, you do" Cathy said.

"No, I really don't want to know anymore" Harold stated but he knew that Cathy could sense his curiosity.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway" Cathy decided it was time to use her stubbornness on her husband. She was not about to let him run away from a conversation.

"Maria's mother left rather cryptic instructions as to why I needed to keep Maria's whereabouts a secret. You see, Maria is actually a princess and she has eight other sisters who are also hidden away" Cathy said as she handed an envelope over to Harold.

"Why do I get the feeling that I have married a very beautiful woman who knows how to keep secrets from everyone, including her husband" Harold gave her a scowling look as he took the envelope from Cathy's hand.

He quickly opened and read the letter inside. Harold looked over at Cathy as she waited patiently for him to say something about her secret. He wasn't sure if he wanted to yank her across his lap and give her, what he thought would be a well-deserve spanking or if he wanted to make love to her all night for the sake that it had been so long.

He was actually considering the latter.

"I also have another one to place in your lap" Cathy confessed as she got the rest of the way onto the bed and sat on her knees.

"I don't know if I can take anymore surprises tonight" Harold confessed and he swallowed hard when he realized that Cathy wore nothing more than one of his old tee shirts.

"Reva is one of Maria's sisters. She is leaving on a plane next week to join Maria on Saturn. They will at least have each other to protect one another" Cathy softly spoke and then noticed that Harold's attention was no longer on what she was saying but it was on what she was wearing.

"Oh huh. What did you say, sweetheart?" Harold blushed once he realized that Cathy finally noticed that he was staring at her as though he were seeing her for the first time all over again.

"How much of what I said did you here?" Cathy questioned as she watched Harold lean towards her.

"I heard everything. Reva's going out on the next flight in a week" Harold said as he slid his hand up along her outer thigh.

"Okay. What are you aiming for?" Cathy asked when her skin became goose-flesh.

"I plan on showing you how much I have missed you and then, in the morning, I will tell you everything about the whole James ordeal from earlier today. I also plan on showing you how sorry I am for not listening to you two years ago" Harold stated as he placed a hand behind each of her knees and then yanked her to him.

Cathy landed on top of Harold. She couldn't believe that he still wanted her after the way she ignored him for the last two years. Or that she still desired him after the way he had ignored her pleas about marrying Maria off to James.

"Harold, I don't think that…" Cathy started to say but was promptly cut off when Harold kissed her soundly.

It was obvious that he was not in the mood to argue with her. He was in the mood to play husband with her and he was not about to stop until she understood how much he loved her.

"Oh honey, I have missed you" Harold confessed in a low groan as he rolled Cathy onto her back and the proceeded to kiss down her throat. He smiled when she produced a purr of satisfaction with each of his caresses.

"I have missed you to" Cathy sighed as Harold kissed her down the column of her throat and started to slide her tee shirt up to her hips.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As Maria tossed and turned throughout the night, her dreams began to take shape. Her handsome dream lover was coming to her again.

_As Maria gazed across the lush green valleys, she could see that everything was serene and her handsome dream-lover was by her side. They sat on top of a hill overlooking the village. Everything was peaceful and quiet. _

_She could see creatures flying the distance but no one seemed to be bothered by their appearance in the horizon. There were also some unicorns frolicking over the rolling hillsides that did not seem the least bit interested in the monstrous creatures that were flying in their direction._

_Maria gazed at the blonde haired man by her side and she could sense a wealth of power from just glancing into his sky-blue eyes. He stood about a foot taller than herself and, from the looks of him, she could tell that he could also break her in two if he so chose to. His smile warmed her heart and soul._

"_What are those creatures?" Maria asked as she pointed towards the horizon._

"_Have ye not heard of dragons, Princess?" his Irish lilt sounded soft and sweet as he chuckled against her ear._

"_No. They don't exist where I come from" Maria confessed._

"_They left your world thousands of years ago in order to survive the massacre of their species. Many hunters were killing off their offspring because it is in the nature of human kind to fear what they do not understand" he stated._

"_That's an understatement if I ever heard one" Maria sarcastically stated._

"_Aye, Princess" he said as he stood up and leant her a hand._

"_You still haven't told me who you are" Maria stated as she graciously accepted his assistance and allowed him to help her up._

"_It's…" he started to say before they heard an explosion coming from the village._

"_No!" Maria screamed as she began to run down into the village. _

_She didn't know why but she just knew that she had to save all those people. But, it seemed, that no matter how fast she ran, the village kept getting farther away from her._

Maria tossed and turned around in her bed before falling onto the floor, waking herself from the horrible dream. She looked around and saw that she had left the light on dim and the covers were wrapped around her legs.

As she tried to untangle herself, she heard a noise that she had never heard before. It sounded like an alarm going off. The lights in her room began to change colors.

"This is an emergency. All passengers must prepare to evacuate. Please remain calm and proceed to the front of the plane" a male voice said over the intercom.

"Great, what else is going to happen?" Maria asked herself as she finished untangling her legs from the covers and stood up.

That's when she felt the plane jar to one side, knocking her against the bed. As she tried to regain her footing, the plane bolted again, knocking her onto the floor.

"Never ask questions" Maria reminded herself as she reached into the draws under her bed and pulled out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. She was determined to not be caught in her underwear.

She hurriedly pulled her pants, shirt, socks, and boots on before grabbing her backpack and taking off out the door. She noticed that the plane was filled with smoke and several figures seemed to appear into the background.

Seeing her opportunity, Maria takes the chance and quickly makes her way down the corridor. She knew that there was no chance of her being able to make it to the cockpit in time. So, she quickly opened up one of the compartments that held the air masks and pulled one out. She closed the compartment and slid underneath one of the rows of seats. She hoped that no one would find her hiding spot.

She could hear the heavy fall of footsteps coming in her direction. She did the best she could to keep from breathing heavy. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest so hard that she thought that it might burst through.

That's when she saw several figures appear through the smoke. She recognized one of them as Hugh. She couldn't understand why he would be involved in any of this. She thought he was kind of a bumbling idiot but, she was obviously wrong about that.

She could feel her necklace growing cold against her flesh as she sunk further back away from the open row. She did not understand why her necklace was becoming like a piece of ice. It had never done anything like that before, even around James. Then she concentrated less on the necklace and more so on what the intruders were saying.

"So, you are telling me that you found a young girl on board this plane?" one of them asked.

Maria assumed he was the leader, just by his tone of voice.

"Yes sir. Quite a fetching young girl. You would certainly approve" Hugh stated as he began to look over each of the seats.

Maria could sense that he was looking for her and she knew that if he found her that she was in serious trouble.

"I hope you're right about this one. The last one you found was rather disappointing" the leader spoke.

"Well, Commander Darrius, this one I can assure you is different than the last one. She's a bit of an adventurous young girl and, to be honest, she looks familiar" Hugh stated.

Maria gasped once she heard the name Darrius. This was the same Darrius that had murdered her mother and father all those years ago. Now, here he was, looking for her.

"Did you hear that?" Hedrick softly questioned as he moved down an isle.

Maria watched as the boot of Hugh stopped right where she was hiding. She tried to scoot closer to wall without making too much noise.

That's when she felt something touch her leg. Looking over, she saw another inky black boot nudging her. She swallowed hard, hoping that they would figure that she was part of the seat.

But, they didn't. That booted foot came hurling back and jabbed her hard in the leg, causing her to cry out in pain. That's when she felt a large hand haul her out from under the seat and toss her at the feet of her nemesis, Darrius.

"This is the one" Hedrick stated as he pressed his foot down onto the middle of Maria's back, holding her stationary.

"Well now, I should say that this will do quite nicely for what I have in mind" Darrius said as he crouched down in front of her.

"Whatever it is, I don't want any part of it" Maria spat as she tried to get out from under Hedrick's heavy foot as it pressed harder against her spine.

"Well, I am afraid my dear, that you should feel privileged to be specifically chosen to be mine" Darrius stated as he cupped her chin.

"How about this? Screw you!" Maria shouted as she struggled harder and finally was able to get out from under Hedrick's foot.

She quickly swung her legs behind Hedrick's knees and he tripped backwards, falling hard on his back. That's when she got up and started to run but, was quickly caught by a set of strong arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"If you wish to live through this, then stop struggling" his voice came out quiet yet harsh.

Maria tried to move out of his embrace but was unsuccessful. His hold on her was much too strong for her to get out of. She finally allowed her body to go limp against his chest. Maria felt his hold on her ease up and she allowed her body to lean against his.

That's when she realized that her necklace felt warm against her skin. Now she understood. The necklace went cold when she was around people who were dangerous and went warm around those who were not.

This creature was not a threat to her. He was an ally.

"Excellent work Lucas. Catching such a rare beauty is always rewarding" Darrius stated as he closed the distance between them.

"Yes, it is" Lucas stated as he gazed down at the red headed girl who was in his arms.

Lucas knew from personal experience that small females were extremely dangerous and could be unpredictable. But, he had a feeling that she was no ordinary female. She had fire in her spirit and was extremely quick thinking; two things that could be hazardous to someone else's health.

Lucas watched as Darrius pulled out a syringe filled with a chemical that would drug the girl to the point of almost falling asleep. He knew that Darrius didn't want her to struggle all the way to his bed chamber or even in his bed. He knew that if he said anything against Darrius drugging the young girl, the Commander would become very upset and would be liable to kill him.

He could feel her struggle against him as Darrius approached her with the needle. Lucas held onto her tightly with one arm and used his other hand to hold her head back against his shoulder. He could feel her tensing and he moved his mouth to her ear, whispering soothing words to help ease her panic.

He watched as her eyes began to close as her body sagged against his. The drug worked quickly on her but, he wasn't too sure if she would appreciate him after he gave her the antidote that would quickly bring her back to her senses and revive her.

"Good work Lucas. Bring her to my chamber" Darrius ordered before walking away to see what other items could be pilfered off of the plane.

"Yes sir" Lucas agreed as he started to lift the young girl up. That's when he noticed something shiny against her throat.

Lucas waited until the rest of his crew left the room and he slowly knelt down on the floor, cradling her upper body. He pulled the necklace out from under her shirt and gasped.

_Princess, I thought you were dead! _Lucas thought as he slid the necklace back under her shirt and scooped her up into his arms. He quickly carried her off of the plane and onto the Dacronis.

There were many rooms and corridors, and if Lucas hadn't been on board the ship for as long as he had been, he would have been completely lost. He made his way from the boarding area of the Dacronis to Darrius's personal chamber and laid the semi-conscious girl on Darrius's bed.

Lucas quickly rummaged through each of the draws and cabinets of the chamber until he found the syringe that contained the antidote for her tiredness. He hoisted her short sleeve up to reveal her tiny vein and quickly injected her.

He knew he didn't have much time before Darrius would be back. He just hoped she would come to, rapidly.

"Princess? Princess?" Lucas softly questioned as he ran a hand over her face as he watched her struggle to regain consciousness.

"Momma?" she groggily questioned as she tried to wake up only to find that her body didn't want to move.

"No, I'm not your mother" Lucas softly spoke as he watched her vibrant green eyes slowly open and look at him.

"Who are you?" she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Here, I am called Lucas. On my home world of Mercury, I am known as Everett" he stated as he helped her to sit up.

"My name is Maria" Maria said as she allowed Everett to help her.

"I know who you are, Princess" Everett commented as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Huh? How do you know me?" Maria questioned as her eyes widened with surprise.

"Let me explain a few things first. Number one, I am not who I am appearing to be. I am what is known as a shape-shifter. I am one of the last of my kind, thanks to the Dacronians killing off all but twenty of my people. The real Lucas died at my hands ten years ago and I have since taken on his form in order to infiltrate what Darrius is up to. Before that time, I used to serve for King Kronos and Queen Ariel before their deaths eighteen years ago. Yes, I knew your mother and father very well" Everett stated with a soft smile as he changed his shape from being a tall blue skinned, green eyed Dracronian to that of a tall, almost human-looking man.

Everett stood about six foot three and was fairly lean, muscle wise. He had coal black hair and pale lime green eyes. He looked to be no older than about thirty but, Maria already knew he had to be older than that. His skin was deeply tanned, almost having a copper hue to it. He carried a few lines around his eyes and smile lines around his mouth. His hair carried a couple of strands of silver but, not as much as what she thought he should have.

All in all, Maria thought he was quite a handsome gentleman.

"You knew my mother and father?" Maria was almost shocked at the thought that someone actually knew who her real family was.

"Yes, I was there the day you were born and the day that the war started on Saturn" Everett confessed.

"Really? But why?" Maria questioned as she felt the grogginess of the drug wearing off.

"I was a soldier for your mother and father's army. Your father used to be captain and I was second in command, which was before your mother married your father" Everett explained.

"Wow, my father was a soldier" Maria was in shock. She thought her father was a prince or king before he married her mother. Instead, he was nothing but a soldier.

"Your father was Captain of your mother's royal guard. He was the one who escorted your mother everywhere she went. That was how they came to know and love each other. They started out as friends and slowly became lovers" Everett stated.

"Oh. How did they meet?" Maria asked as she slowly swung her legs around and planted both her feet onto the floor.

"Well, your mother was still a princess at the time and your father was just a mere squire for his father, who was a knight. She was ten and he was about fifteen at the time. Your mother was very headstrong, even at her young and tender age. She went to the stables one early morning and was going to go for a flight on one of the dragons…" Everett started to say before Maria spoke up.

"Dragons? There's no such thing as dragons" Maria was in shock. Her knowledge of dragons was that they were pure myth. No evidence was ever found of their existence.

"Yes, princess, dragons. Your mother was quite the rider back then. Well, Kronos was busy cleaning up when your mother walked by without her normal dress and your father was in such awe that he nearly stumbled over his own two feet trying to get her flight saddle put on. Your mother giggled at him and your father blushed. From that point on, they met everyday. Even as your mother approached the marrying age of twenty, she felt as though she belonged with Kronos and not with the suitor that her mother and father had selected" Everett stated as he watched Maria start to stand.

"So, what happened next?" Maria asked excitedly.

"Well, his father was preparing to retire and Kronos was getting ready to be promoted to Captain when Princess Ariel announced that she would marry no man who could not make her heart soar higher than the dragons could fly her" Everett said.

"Wow, what a romantic way for her to get my father to ask" Maria sighed with a large grin on her face.

"Well, let's just say, things didn't turn out the way she expected. Every nobleman came from every planet was trying to win your mother's heart. Kronos, now Captain, stood back and watched each possible suitor step forward for a chance. It wasn't until they had journeyed to Sirrus for a Senator meeting, that Kronos finally confessed his love for her" Everett said as he watched Maria walk around the room, trying to get her balance.

"That's it. It took my father ten years to ask my mother to marry him!" Maria was shocked that it would have taken a man that long to confess his feelings for a woman.

"You have to understand, your father was extremely shy when it came to women, especially when the woman was your mother. He feared that because he was but a soldier for her guard, that she would reject his love. Little did he know that she secretly returned his affection. He came to me one day and asked for my opinion on the matter. He said he was madly in love the princess and that he wanted to marry her. I told him to jump in with both feet and confess his love for her in private, so this way no one could poke fun at him if she turned him down. He agreed and said he would say something about the matter while they were at Sirrus" Everett stated as he stood up and began to remove one of his smaller pistols.

"And?" Maria questioned.

"Well, let's just say, they were married while on Sirrus. The day after he asked, Princess Ariel was seen leaving her private chambers with Kronos's arm around her waist and a ring on her finger. From what I was told, the two of them could not keep their hands off of each after they married. About a year later, her mother and father handed the throne to them and retired to another planet. About five years after that, your mother gave birth to you and your eight other sisters" Everett smiled with that last statement.

"That's so sweet. Is that really what happened or did you make up some of that?" Maria asked as she sat back down next to Everett on the bed.

"Well, that's the shorter version because I don't have time to tell you the elongated version of all their escapades. Well, I hate to, but I must get back to my other half's duties. Here's a pistol and a roughly drawn map on how to get to one of the shuttles. It is easily programmable to set your course. I wish I could go with you to protect you but, then I would not be able to relay messages on the Dacronian army's whereabouts to you" Everett confessed as he changed back into the shape of the Dacronian Lucas.

"I understand. I have kind of gotten used to doing things by myself," Maria confessed as she accepted the pistol and then hid it under her shirt, tucking it into her pants.

"Well, I must get back to my duties. Be safe Princess" Everett stated as he began to turn to leave before seeing a young Martian female enter the room with a plate of food.

"Lucas, I be havin' no idea why ye would still be here" the young golden haired woman stated as she slowly entered the room and placed the tray down on the bed.

"Don't worry, she knows who I am Charity" Everett stated as he began to leave the room.

"Aye, I understand. Darrius, he be wantin' ye" Charity softly stated.

"Great, nothing unusual there. See you soon" Everett stated as he left the room, leaving Charity with Maria. He knew Maria would be completely safe with Charity because Charity was extremely sweet tempered and easy going and could keep a secret better than anyone he knew.

"By the way, the name be Charity and yours?" Charity extended her hand.

"Maria" she said as she accepted the offer of friendship from Charity. That's when she noticed that the young girl had a long tail.

"Aye, you be seein' me tail. 'Tis nothing unusual" Charity stated as she got ready to turn and leave.

"Okay, it's just that I have never seen someone with a tail before. But, then again, I haven't seen a lot of things before now" Maria confessed.

"Aye. By the way, if ye do make it out, please be findin' me brother, Thane. I know he be lookin' for me" Charity softly stated as her tail twitched back and forth.

"But, why don't you come with me?" Maria asked, wondering why Charity hadn't tried to escape sooner. It was obvious that Everett was more than willing to help everyone out but, why didn't he help her.

"I can't. I have been implanted with a chip that tracks my every move and if I try to escape, Darrius could also kill me with it. The only way to have it removed is through surgery. It was placed at the base of my skull" Charity stated as she pointed to the back of her neck and then rubbed it with a lost and sad look in her eyes.

"Oh. I'll do my best to try and find your brother" Maria promised as she grasped both of Charity's hands and squeezed them to reassure her that she meant every word. She just hoped that she could find Charity's brother and be reunited with her sister.

"I hope so. I must be goin'. Darrius will be looking for me" Charity said as she released Maria's hands and hurried out the door.

"Now, if I just knew how to get out of here" Maria said to herself as she slowly peeked out the door and noticed that there was no one coming.

Maria looked back and noticed that her backpack was brought with her and was lying on the bed. Quickly, she ran back to the bed, grabbed her bag, and then bolted out the door.

As soon as she started to creep down the hallway, a loud alarm started up. _Great, what now?_

"Hey bro, isn't that Darrius's ship?" Peron questioned as he began to maneuver the ship around to the front loading dock of the Dacronis.

"Aye, that be his" Vladimir agreed as he began to use infrared scanners to scan for any living humans that were possibly still alive on the damaged plane.

The Dacronis was massive. It was about the size of Mercury; long and silvery. It was the largest ship that the Dacronians had and of course it belonged to no else but Darrius. It was a battle ship as well as a cargo/slave ship. There was not a pilot out there that wanted to get close to it except for the crew of the Orion and they had very good reason to get close.

"Go in. We must find survivors before they are implanted" Thane ordered as he checked each of his pistols, making sure that they were fully loaded. He was not about to run out of ammo.

They knew that the Dacronis housed at least several thousand crewmembers, none of which befriended anyone outside their own kind. Each member was taught from birth to hate all other species, including their own. They killed without remorse or even thought about the consequences of their actions. If one of them went against their ingrained orders, they were immediately executed; young and old alike.

"I guess we are going in" Peron lamented as he set a course to head directly into the ships main docking area.

"Aye, that we are" Thane stated.

"Let's get ready. Ye know that they want to check us out" Vladimir stated as he set the ship on autopilot and stood up.

"Aye, that they do" Thane agreed as he stood up and watched Peron follow closely behind them.

They moved rapidly through the ship's corridors and found the hidden compartment where they would normally store cargo and nonperishable supplies. They pulled the floor up and each of them jumped down into the small room. Vladimir pulled the sheet of metal over the open and they quietly waited as they heard the heavy fall of feet on the metal floor.

They could hear voices just above them discussing the fact that the Orion appeared to be abandoned. There was not a living soul on board the ship.

It was at this moment that they heard Darrius's deep voice. Thane clenched his hand and made a fist. He wanted nothing more than to kill Darrius for taking his sister. He also knew that his brothers wanted to do the same thing; it all depended upon who got to him first.

It seemed like an eternity before the troops, who were standing above them, finally left the area. Vladimir slowly lifted the sheet of metal and looked around. There was not a soldier in sight. He slid the piece of metal off to the side and pulled himself out of the hole. He then helped pull Peron and Thane out.

"You guys check things out on the lower levels of the ship and I'll head to the upper levels. Let's see if anyone was allowed to survive this massacre," Thane stated as they slowly crept out of the ship.

Thane let out a sigh of relief when there was not a soldier in sight. The last thing he wanted to do was to get into a battle and alert Darrius at the same time.

"I'll give you guys thirty minutes and then we meet back here. I am not going to allow them the chance to dismantle the ship," Thane stated as he issued a few silent commands for Peron and Vladimir to go check for survivors.

Thane moved across the wide-open section of the cargo bay and climbed up a narrow ladder that was leaning again a wall. Swinging himself around, he stepped onto a metal balcony. Pressing himself against the wall, when he heard a few soldiers coming down the hallway, Thane nearly held his breath as they came within three feet of discovering him.

He let out another sigh when they just kept walking by. Looking down each hallway in the four-way corridor, Thane moved as quickly as he could down the halls and around corners.

He was beginning to think that every hallway was starting to look the same until he nearly ran into several guards racing towards the loading dock where the Orion was at. Taking a look down at his watch, he could see that he only had fifteen minutes left before he had to turn around and go back to his ship. He was not about to leave the Dacronis empty-handed, he had to at least find one survivor that had not implanted.

As Maria slowly crept down the hallway, she watched as soldiers took off in the same direction. She gathered that someone was actually daring enough to get on board the ship with many, apparently well trained, soldiers.

She was just about to peak around the corner when she heard shots being fired down the hall. It made her heart grow still and her body froze. She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid her body down until she was crouching. Slowly, she peered around the corner and saw several soldiers firing their weapons at a much taller individual.

Maria could tell that this person was a "take no prisoners kind of guy". She would have enjoyed watching the show but she was more interested in getting out of there before one of the soldiers figured out that she was trying to escape.

It was at this moment that Maria felt a change in her necklace, warning her that an enemy was near her and that she needed to get out of there. Turning her head, she saw a soldier reaching for her. She immediately reacted by kicking him in the knee with her boot-covered foot and then trying to scramble to her feet before he recovered.

Maria skidded across the floor, right into the firing range. Her whole body landed on the floor on her side. She could feel the cold metal floor through her clothes as she grabbed the pistol that Lucas gave to her and started to fire the weapon at the two soldiers in front of her. The man on the other end of the hall stopped and held his ground as he walked toward her. Maria's breath caught in her throat as she watched the play of muscles as he moved with cat-like grace toward her.

He wore nothing more than a black leather vest with no shirt on underneath, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a set of black leather motorcycle boots. His golden blond hair was tied back at the base of his neck, save for a few strands that came loose from the fastening. He wore a pair of dark reflective sunglasses, preventing Maria from being able to tell what color his eyes were.

As far as she was concerned, she had never seen anyone like him in her life. She knew that if she was dreaming, she did not want to wake up. However, if it was not a dream, then she wanted the moment to last forever.

Nevertheless, the moment was not meant to last. The soldier that she kicked moments ago grabbed her by her upper arm so hard that Maria thought he had pulled it out of socket. She watched as the other man, whom she had been admiring, came to a dead stop about ten feet from them.

She felt the gun next to her temple and she began to sweat from fear. Her backpack was in the middle of the hallway and her borrowed gun was lying beside it. She was not too sure of how she was going to get out the situation because she had no means of self-defense and the other man had stopped short of being able to help.

"Well, it looks like the Captain has stopped short" the soldier sneered as he pressed the gun harder against her temple.

"Yeah, well, ladies can always make a man stop in his tracks. Especially when the girls look good." The other man stated as he holstered his pistol onto his thigh.

Maria held her breath until she thought she was going to pass out. Her mind started to work in overdrive as she used her eyes to look around to try to find something to be able to save her since it was obvious that the other man was not going to be allowed to get close enough to help her.

_Wait a minute! I did not take Karate classes for the last several years not to learn something from them! _Maria thought as she began to think about how she could get out of his grasp using the skills that she had learned over the last few years. Then, it struck her like a bolt of lightening. A small smile played across her face as her body began to tense up.

She closed her eyes as she allowed her body to fall limp against the soldier. As expected, he loosened his grip on her and that is when her attack began. Maria twisted quickly around with a balled up fist and punched the soldier right in the nose.

The other man quickly pulled her away before shooting the soldier in the chest. His pull was so hard that she landed on her butt behind him. Not that she minded because she was actually enjoying the view until she noticed his tail.

She had to shake her head when she saw that. Then she remembered that humans were not the only creatures in the galaxy. She had run across blue skinned creatures, shape-changing creatures, and now one that has a tail. _What's next? Aliens that bleed pink blood!_ Maria chuckled as that thought ran through her mind.

"Are ye alright?" the man asked as he held out his hand to help her up off the floor.

"Yeah. Other than the fact of having a bruised backside, I think I will live" Maria said as she rubbed her butt trying to ease the sore feeling.

"Sorry about that, lass. Twas the quickest way to keep ye from getting hurt" he said as he holstered his pistol.

"Don't worry about it. I understand. Hey, wait a minute, you have an Irish accent!" Maria's mouth went agape once she finally listened to his Irish brogue as it rolled off his tongue.

"Aye, my mother is Irish and my father is Martian" he said he quickly placed a hand at the nape of her neck.

Maria quickly became enraged over the fact that he was touching her without her permission. She tried to back away but he kept a firm grip on her and applied a little more pressure to the base of skull and along the back of her neck.

"Good, ye must be the only one who did not get implanted" he stated as he released his hold on her.

"You know, you could have told me what you were doing" Maria snapped.

"You'll get over it" he stated nonchalantly as he looked around.

"Men! They never change no matter what species they are" Maria said as she walked over to her backpack and pistol and picked both items off of the floor.

"Ye got that right but females will never change either" he stated.

"That's true. Now how the hell do we get out of here?" Maria asked as she looked around trying to figure out which direction she needed to go.

"Follow me" it almost sounded like an order as he grasped her hand and gave a small tug.

"Okay" Maria did not need any further prodding than that and she followed right along side him.

They dodged more soldiers as they quickly made their way to the docking bay where Maria say a massive black and silver ship with the letters "Orion" along the side of it in gold print. She could not believe her luck. She finally found the ship that the girl, Charity, had told her to look for. Now all she needed to do was to find her brother, Thane.

"I'm going to jump down first and then I will help ye down" he said as he moved Maria closer to the ledge, climber over the metal railing, and then jumped over. She heard his feet hit the metal floor below.

"Come on. We don't have much time" he said as he held his arms up.

"You don't need to tell me twice" Maria stated when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and she climbed over the railing. Keeping a firm grip on the railing bars, Maria slowly crouched down and then allowed her lower body to go down. She felt his hands encircle her narrow waist, she let go of the bars, and he lowered her feet to the floor.

"Oh great, he wastes no time in getting here" Maria heard the discontent in his voice as he pulled her body closer to him.

Maria turned her head and saw the same creature who had drugged her marching towards them with about a hundred soldiers following closely behind him. The man, who was helping her, turned her body to where she would not be injured and pulled his gun out of his holster. He began to slowly move sideways towards the ship and she followed his lead. Maria kept her pistol ready just in case they really needed.

"My, my, my. I didn't realize that Captain Thane was into redheads" Darrius boasted as he issued a command for his soldiers to stop.

"Hey, what can I say? I like females in all shapes, sizes, and colors" he chuckled as he continued his movements towards the ship.

Maria gasped once she realized that this was Charity's brother and captain of the ship that he was trying to get her over to.

"That goes without saying. But, that girl is mine. She belongs to me" Darrius stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't think so. I belong to no one but myself" Maria said as she stepped out from behind Captain Thane and stood beside him.

"Well now, still have spunk. The drug shouldn't have worn off that quickly" Darrius couldn't believe his eyes once he realized that there was a possibility of there being a traitor aboard his ship.

"Yeah…what can I say? I recover very quickly" Maria sarcastically stated as she tossed her long red braid behind her and smoothed a few strands away from her face.

"Give her to me Captain and I might let your ship stay in one piece" Darrius ordered.

"How about this? Go to hell" Thane stated, his Irish accent becoming heavier as his voice deepened.

He kept his gun ready as the red-haired woman came to stand beside, poised for a fight. He had not anticipated that she would actually join this battle beside. He was used to the females of his planet who were fighters and many of the females from other planets were too. However, Earth females were a whole different story.

Then again, his mother was from Earth and she fought beside his father.

Of course, he was always told that red heads were noted for having tempers that matched their hair color. _This girl is different from other breeds of females. She has spirit. No wonder why Darrius wants to keep her. He always liked women who a lot of fight in them until all the fight was drained out them and then he cast them aside and looked for another female of similar characteristics, very much like his sister and this young girl._ Thane thought as he slowly inched his way over to the ship. The young girl followed closely beside him.

Thane thought that she looked very familiar. He just couldn't place where he had seen her before. Then it struck him like a ton of bricks. _His dreams._ She had been in his dreams for the last several weeks. That same red hair and emerald green eyes that entranced him night after sleepless night.

"I like your way of thinking" Maria stated as she followed his lead.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw two other individuals with their guns drawn and tossing several soldiers out of the ship. One of them seemed rather smug as he dusted his hands off. The other one was literally kicking one of the soldiers, in the butt, out of the ship. Maria softly chuckled when she saw the bemused expression on their faces.

Thane turned his head to her when heard her soft laughter. Arching an eyebrow at her, he smiled, knowing what brought about her humor. His brothers always knew how to make their jobs entertaining and worth while, which was more than what he could say about the other Desert Warriors of Mars.

They spent more time working and training and less time enjoying themselves. Even though it was just a job to them, but to his two brothers and himself, it was a career and a career is meant to be enjoyed and to be permanent.

That was something that the other warriors did not understand nor would they ever understand if they didn't take a step outside the circle and looked in. The other warriors only did it because they did not want to disappoint their families who had been warriors too.

"Good thing too or else we would have to argue about it" Thane calmly stated as he glanced over and saw that they were only about ten feet from the ship's loading area.

"You'd loose" Maria confidently stated.

"So ye think, lass" Thane stated as his hand moved to come in front of her. He placed his hand on her hip and gently pushed her behind him, keeping her out of Darrius's view.

"Yep, I do" Maria stated as she felt the heat and pressure from his hand on her hip.

"I want ye to run as fast as ye can and get onto the ship. Tell my brothers to start the ship up. I will be on board in shortly" Thane stated as he pushed her further behind him.

"But, I can help" Maria began to protest.

"Do as I tell ye and we might get out of here in one piece" Thane ordered as he nudged her a little hard behind him.

"Typical male" Maria let out an exasperated sigh as she looked over at the open path and both of Thane's brothers were waiting for her to make a run for it.

Maria briefly closed her eyes and the reopened them. Seeing her chance, Maria bolted towards the ship. She ran up the slightly inclined metal ramp. As soon as she hit the top of the ramp, Maria slipped and then slid sideways into the wall.

Maria got onto her hands and knees as soon as she heard gun shots. She turned her head to speak to Thane's brothers and he was racing into the ship and his brothers were already en route to starting the ship up. She felt Thane's hand on her upper arm, dragging her up off the floor and pulling her behind him. It took all her energy to keep up with him because, the drug was still not all the way out of her system and it was exhausting her.

She felt the rattling of the ship, letting her know that it was getting ready to take off. The vibration was so hard that it made her legs feel like jello.

It was at this moment that she felt her legs give out and she collapsed against the wall. She barely realized that Thane pressed her against the wall and was trying to keep her from falling over. Maria looked up and saw that Thane was holding onto a pipe above their heads and was holding her close to him by her waist.

Her hips were pressed against his and she could feel the power within his embrace. Her whole body reacted to him in a way that she did not even begin to understand. She was not even sure if she wanted to understand what she was feeling at that moment.

Maria heard shots being fired and hitting the side of the ship. Some of them hit hard enough that it nearly knocked Thane and Maria to the floor, but he held on tight to the metal piping above them.

Then there was silence.

For a moment, Maria thought that they were dead. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to know, and pressed her face into Thane's bare chest and wrapped her arms his waist.

Maria felt his chest rumbling with a chuckle and she looked up at him. At some point, his sunglass had fallen to the floor and she could see his sky-blue eyes looking into her emerald green eyes. There was a hint of laughter in his eyes and a smile creased across his lips. Lips that looked as though they were meant to kiss a woman until she didn't know where he ended and she began.

"Don't worry. Ye are safe, lass" Thane stated as he ran his hand up her waist until it came to rest at the base of her neck.

Under normal circumstances, Maria would have rejected his touch, but this was different. This was a heated kind of touch that made her weak with desire and hunger for something more than just a fling, but she doubted that would ever happen.

The only thing she wanted right now was to get back on the next plane home to her mom. She was not up for any more adventure and she knew it was going to be too soon before she saw more than she ever had in her entire life. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for it.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Out of all the times Thane had been saving lives and doing battle, he had never once run across anyone with as much fight in them as this young girl, who dared to defy Darrius with all her might. That was something that he had never seen anyone, other than himself and his two brothers, do and they normally avoided Darrius like he was the plague. As far as most civilizations were concerned, he was the plague.

Looking down at the top of the girl's red head, he let out a sigh of relief that they had actually made it out of there alive and in one piece. Thane knew that the next stop was Mars to have repairs done to the ship before any more battles took place. He also knew that he had to get this girl back home before anything else happened. At least, if she was at home, Darrius would have less of a chance of locating her and taking her back.

He guessed her age to be no more than fifteen but she was extremely head strong for her age and size. He had a very good idea that she was probably a runaway girl from Earth. Her parents were probably worried sick about her and she was probably more than willing to go back home without any questions.

"Well, let's get ye home, lass" Thane stated as he backed away from the young girl. He knew trouble when he saw it and she was probably more trouble than he wanted to get tangle up with.

"Great, that's exactly where I was going to" she stated as she picked her backpack up off the floor and slung it over one shoulder.

"It was?" Thane raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Yes, I was on my way to Saturn when those smelly creatures attacked the plane. Needless to say, I don't think I will fly like that again. Next time, it's first class all the way for me" she said with a smile.

"Saturn? There is nothing on Saturn but a bunch of debris from the war and most of the people there have been enslaved by the Dacronians, compliments of Darrius" Thane stated as he leaned his back against the far wall.

"That's why I am going there. To free my people" she said.

"Your people? There has not been a ruler on the Saturnian throne in about eighteen years. Not since the death of Queen Ariel and King Kronos. Anyone who would have inherited the throne died during the war" Thane said as he continued to look at her as though she had lost her mind or grown another head.

"Not all of them were killed during the war. Some of us survived that massacre. I happen to be proof of that" she said in a more determined tone of voice.

"Ha, I doubt that very much. Now then, I think this charade has gone on long enough sweetheart. Tell me where on Earth do ye live?" Thane was very rapidly losing his patience with her.

"I am telling you the truth, Captain" she snapped.

"Whatever. When ye are ready to talk, I'll drop you off at the front door of your house and I am sure ye mom and dad will be very happy to see ye in one piece" he knew it was nothing unusual for girls to pull a disappearing act when their parents didn't give into their desires.

"Look pal, my adoptive mother is the one who sent me to Saturn. If you don't believe me, then check out my necklace" the young girl's face was becoming as red as her hair as she pulled her necklace out from underneath her shirt.

Thane closed the distance between them and lifted the necklace up for closer examination. It was obvious that it was not Earth-made. Upon further examination, he realized that this young girl might be telling him the truth. But, he knew that he was going to need to test the necklace out before he believed her story.

"Alright, ye tell me your story" Thane relented, hoping to gather as much information as he could from her.

"Well, this whole thing began about eighteen years ago when my mom adopted me. She didn't tell me I was adopted until about a couple weeks, just before I was to be married. The groom was not of my choosing" she started to say, "Well, needless to say, I ran out on my own wedding and got onboard a plane with a ticket that my mom bought for me to go to Saturn. And, here I am" she said.

"What is your name?" Thane asked as he continued to stare at her.

"Marianna Alexandra DuPoi. Most people call me Maria, unless they are mad at me" Maria said with a smile as she looked at Thane.

"Which I am sure is quite often" Thane meant it as a joke but she was obviously not amused because she gave him a frown.

"Not as often as you would think" Maria stated.

"I'm sure. Well, your trip to Saturn will have to wait for a little while because we need to get back to Mars to do repair work to the ship and then I am going to have to write a few reports about ye. Ye will probably need to give a statement to my commanding officer, Admiral Zocar. He's not the type to enjoy visitors but, he can get over it" Thane stated as he pushed away from the wall.

"That's fine, I just need to get in contact with my sister and let her know to meet me on Mars instead of Saturn" Maria stated and it was just then that she realized that she needed to tell Thane about his sister.

"Fine by me. Now, let me find ye a room to stay in for the time being. The trip will take about two days and I am sure that ye will want to freshen up before then" Thane stated as he started to walk down the hall towards one of the empty bed chambers. He just hoped that her story checked out even though he really wanted her to be younger so this way he wouldn't be tempted to do anything with her.

"Oh, I have a question" Maria said as she walked beside him.

"Aye, what is it?" Thane asked as he opened up one of the bed chamber doors and then walked in.

"Do you have a sister named Charity?" Maria asked as she as she followed him into the room.

"Aye, she's my twin sister. Why do ye ask?" Thane questioned as he turned to face Maria.

"I spoke with her on the other ship" Maria stated and watched the play of emotions on Thane's face.

"Ye spoke with my sister" Thane couldn't believe what he heard. Someone had actually seen and spoke with his sister. She was alive and that made him very happy but saddened him because she was still onboard the Dacronis.

"Yes. Darrius had an implant put in her at the base of her neck. That's why she didn't come with me. She told me to find you and to let you know that she was still alive" Maria stated.

Thane wasn't sure if he wanted to hug Maria or kiss her for giving him the best news he had heard in a long time. He decided that either one sounded promising as Thane's eyes dropped to Maria's full pink lips. He wondered if they were as soft as they appeared to be. He watched as her lips parted and she exhaled heavily. He wondered what she was thinking.

_Why in the world is he staring at me like that? Is he even listening to what I said? On no! He's looking at me just like James used to do. Then why I am not ready to kill him for it._ Maria's thoughts ran wild as she tried to think of a way to get Thane to leave the room so she could gather her thoughts.

"Well, I better let ye get some rest. Ye have had a pretty rough day today" Thane could sense that she was getting nervous with him being in the room with her.

He figured judgment being the better part of valor; he would leave her alone until she was ready for him to get close to her. He was gathering that she would never allow him to get that close, even if she was old enough for him. He was not one for robbing a cradle but, she was a temptation that he would not be able to resist for long.

"Yes, I have. Thank you for the room" Maria was almost stumbling for words to say to Thane because he excited her ways she couldn't even begin to describe nor did she want to try to explain these feelings that were running madly through her system.

"If ye need anything, just page me on the intercom" Thane started to say as he pointed towards a speaker on the wall next to the open door "Oh, ye don't mind if I borrow that necklace of yours to just make sure that my guess is right on its origins."

"No, you just want to see if I am telling you the truth. Okay, here you go. Go ahead, check it out" Maria sarcastically stated as she handed the necklace over to Thane. She knew what he was up to and was not about to argue. She understood that her story sounded a bit strange but, she didn't care as long as she could find a way to make him believe her and get him to take her to Saturn so she could help her people.

"Ye will get it back later this evening. So, how about dinner tonight?" Thane quickly asked before he lost his nerve as he took the necklace from Maria and proceeded to leave the room.

"Sure" Maria responded with a smile as she began to actually admire Thane's backside. She blushed when he turned his head and smiled, knowing that he actually caught her looking at him.

"Alright, I'll come by later to check on ye. Do ye need a change of clothes or anything?" Thane asked.

"Yeah, I think my other clothes were lost on the plane thanks to Darrius" Maria grumbled as she opened her backpack and poured all the stuff in her bag out onto the bed. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Maria rummaged through all her stuff and finally found her cell phone.

"Alright, I'll bring ye some clothes. I don't guarantee the fit but they will do for now" Thane stated as he walked out of the room and towards the front of the ship.

"Thank you" Maria said and then she looked up and realized that Thane was already gone.

"Well, time to give Reva and mom a call and let them know that there's a change of plans" Maria stated with a chuckle as she began to wonder around her newly acquired room.

The room was small but comfortable. It was about the size of her room onboard the plane but everything was metal. She was thankful that the mattress wasn't metal.

As she wandered around the room, she found a dresser and a night stand, both of which were fixed to the floor of the ship. She gathered that was to keep them from being tossed about or possibly tossed up into the air. She thought that was a pretty good idea.

Maria wandered into the bathroom and found towels, soap, and hair products. She felt as though this was way better service than what she had onboard the plane. _Hmm, I should fly like this more often. But, I would have to minus the Captain._ Maria thought as she ran her hand over the fluffy towels and then wandered back into bedroom.

She tried to call Reva but, all she got was the answering machine. So, Maria left a message for Reva to get back in contact with her as soon as possible and that Reva just needed to meet her on Mars instead of Saturn. She also quickly explained that there had been a slight change in plans since her plane was demolished. She also said that she was fine and to bring her some clothes to wear since all of hers were lost.

After hanging up the cell phone, Maria put all of her stuff away into the nightstand and then lay down on the bed. She was still very sleepy from the drug that was still in her system and all the adrenaline had finally worn off. It took her less than five minutes for her to fall asleep and for the first time in several weeks; she did not have any nightmares. In fact, all she dreamed about was the Thane and while she slept, Maria kept a constant smile on her face.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As soon as Thane made it to the front of the ship, he collapsed into his seat. Both Peron and Vladimir turned around and saw the exhausted look on their brother's face. They also saw that he appeared to be troubled about something and neither of them could figure it out.

"Alright, spill it. What's wrong?" Peron was always the first one to speak up and ask a question, no matter how insane it sounded.

"That red headed girl. That's the problem" Thane stated and he knew it wasn't far from the truth.

"Oh, ye like her" Peron chuckled.

"No, she's too young. At least, I think she's too young. But, that's not what I am referring to. I am saying that she just told me a lot of things and I am having problems believing everything that she told me" Thane stated as he looked at the necklace in his hand.

"What did she tell ye?" Vladimir questioned when he saw the necklace in Thane's hand.

"Well, she spoke with Charity and she has basically told me that she is the missing princess from Saturn. That is what I am having a hard time with" Thane confessed.

"She spoke with our sister" Peron and Vladimir exclaimed at the same time. They both found it hard to believe that Charity was still alive and someone has actually spoken with her.

"Yes, she did. I believe her on that account but I don't understand how, if she is whom she claims to be, she could have survived the war on Saturn" Thane stated as he stood up and walked over to his brothers. He showed both of them the necklace and each of them examined it closely.

"Ye know something; I think she may be telling ye the truth. That necklace looks legitimate" Vladimir stated. He had seen enough Martian jewelry to know the difference between each world's design. This one was definitely from Saturn.

"That's why I need to have it examined to be on the safe side but that still does not guarantee that she is who she claims to be" Thane stated.

"Run a blood test on her. If she is the daughter of King Kronos and Queen Ariel, then it will match up with their blood and ye will have your proof" Peron commented, knowing that a blood test was the only real way to prove who the girl really was.

"Good idea and ye can be the one to do it too" Thane stated, knowing that there was no one he could go back around her without desiring her.

"Ye want me near a red head? Remember what happened the last time I got near one?" Peron stated in a shocked tone of voice.

"Of course I do. How can I forget the look of your face when she beat the hell of ye?" Thane softly chuckled as he went back over to his chair and sat down.

Thane removed the elastic that was holding his hair back and then ran his fingers through his hair. It was at this moment that he realized that his sunglasses were missing. He decided to wait until later to look for them. He was too tired to go hunting around on the ground for them. He just hoped that no one stepped on them between now and then.

"Think of it this way guys, two more days and we'll be home" Thane said, trying to cheer everyone up. He couldn't wait to get home and relax for a few days. It had been six months since they left Mars and he knew that he and his brothers were ready to go home.

"Well, that is not going to happen" Vladimir stated as he began to examine the gauges at his control panel, looking a little puzzled.

"What do ye mean?" Thane was shocked over what his brother had just said.

"The fuel cells are leaking and if we don't repair it, we won't make it home. We'll need to stop and have it repaired before we get home" Vladimir stated, once he remembered that they had just been attacked and several shots had been fired at and hit their ship in several locations. He felt as though that they should consider themselves lucky that it wasn't as bad as what it could have been.

"Okay, let's find the nearest repair facility and get this old girl fixed or dad might beat us with his own ship" Thane stated as he pushed his hair out if his face and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Okay, the nearest repair place will take us about twelve hours to get there. It's located on this side of the asteroid belt" Peron said as he brought up a full scale image on the viewer screen and pointed at it.

"Okay, let's set a course for it and let them know we are coming for repairs. Also, make sure they know that Admiral Zocar is the one who is picking up the tab since he is the one who sent us out" Thane chuckled as he looked at map of the asteroid belt.

"Not a problem. It will take about a week to repair or possibly replace the fuel cells but, we will be home by next week" Peron stated as he closed the viewing screen and began to set a course for them.

"If ye guys need me, I'll be laying down for a little bit. Oh Peron, make sure to get that blood work done within the next hour" Thane stated as he walked out of the room and toward his sleeping quarters.

"Geez, Thane needs a girlfriend bad" Peron commented as he turned around in his chair, stretched his arms over his head, and then went back to work.

"Oh shut up" Vladimir stated and then scowled at Peron.

"So do ye" Peron taunted with a laugh.

"Nope, I have had enough of females to last me a lifetime" Vladimir said as he continued to punch in coordinates and attempted to ignore Peron's obnoxious statements.

"Uh huh, sure" was all Peron would say as he went back to working at his console.

He knew his two older brothers better than they thought he did. Neither of his brothers had dated in almost two years because they paid more attention to their jobs and less attention to trying to have fun with their lives. They may be officers, but they could still learn to loosen up a bit. Peron also knew that it was going to take very special females to loosen up his two brothers and get them to realize that all work and no play was going to turn them into old men very rapidly.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

As Thane lay awake, his thoughts wandered to the red-headed girl in the room next to his. He could hear the shower going and she was singing. He found it a pleasant change to hear a female's voice singing over that of his two brothers. He knew Peron and Vladimir did it deliberately to drive him crazy, but it was always done in good fun.

He turned over onto his side, facing the wall, when he heard the most annoying ringing sound coming from her room. He heard her race out of the shower and turn off the annoying device. That's when he heard her talking and realized that the annoying device was none other than a cell phone.

_It's going to be a long couple of weeks…_

"Reva, it's so good to hear from you!" Maria said as she held her towel loosely around herself.

Her long hair was loose and dripping wet from where she had to jump out of the shower to get to the phone. She used one hand to hold onto the towel and the other hand for the cell phone.

Maria thought that this ship's shower had to be the best shower she had ever had the privilege of using. The water temperature was perfect and the shower head had an adjustable nozzle where she could change the way the water came out. It was even adjustable which made it even better.

"I know it. What does all this about me having to meet you on Mars? What's up with that?" Reva questioned as she helped her mother make dinner.

Her mother finally confessed that Reva was adopted and that she and Maria were in fact sisters. Reva basically told her mother that Susan told her everything. Reva's mom laughed and realized that she couldn't keep a secret from her because Susan always told her everything.

"Okay, what happened was that the plane I was on was attacked by aliens. I was drugged and then given an antidote. I was even given a gun to use by one of the aliens who wasn't on their side. I also met the sexiest man I have ever met. In fact, he was the man I have been dreaming about for the last several weeks!" Maria squealed with delight as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No way!" Reva practically screamed as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"Yes! It was so cool but the only weird thing about him is that he has a tail and so don't his two other brothers" Maria stated as she tossed her wet hair over one shoulder and crossed her legs.

"Cool, you always did like men that were a little strange" Reva stated with a chuckled.

"Oh, one of his brothers, whom I only got a brief peak at, looks just like the guy you were telling me about from your dreams" Maria mentioned with a laughed.

"You're joking" Reva was shocked to learn that there was good possibility that her dreams were actually reality.

"So does he know that you have been dreaming about him?" Reva asked.

"No, and I am not about to tell him. He might think that I am a little weird. Shit, he already thinks that I have lost my marbles because I told him who I was. He doesn't believe me" Maria solemnly stated as she stood up and walked back into the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror and barely recognized her own face. Her long hair hung loosely and she had some bruises on her arms from where she had struggled against several of the soldiers. Dropping the towel, Maria turned around and saw some bruising from where that Hedrick had his boot and another bruise on her thigh from Hugh's boot.

"You sound a bit frustrated about something" Reva commented when she heard Maria sigh.

"Well, it's rather annoying to have bruises all over your body from idiot males who think they can get away with anything" Maria stated as she held the edges of the towel together and allowed the middle of the towel to stay low on her back.

"No doubt about that" Reva chuckled.

"Looks good" came the sound of Thane's voice, causing Maria to drop the phone onto the floor and turn around.

"How long have you been standing there?" Maria questioned as she bent down and picked her phone up off the floor.

"Long enough. Where did ye get the bruises from?" Thane questioned as he watched Maria turn to face the mirror again. He leaned against the door jam with his shoulder and watched Maria with a questioning glance.

"Sis, can I call you back? Someone wants to play twenty questions with me" Maria laughed.

"Sure. I'll talk to you later" Reva said as she hung the phone up.

"See ya, Sis" Maria said as she hung her phone up.

"The bruises came from various idiot males who like to think that they can control a woman. This one, they had some problems with" Maria said with a smile as she turned away from the mirror and walked back into the bedroom.

As she walked past Thane, their shoulders brushed against each other. Maria stopped and looked at Thane through her thick lashes. She watched as Thane lowered his head to look at her through his sunglasses. She had never seen such a heated glance as the one that he was giving her at that moment.

"What?" Maria asked as she continued to hold her towel in place while Thane looked at her.

"A towel looks good on ye but I think ye would look gorgeous without it" Thane gave her a devious smile that could have melted the North Pole.

"I think you need to say what you came to say and then leave so I can get dressed" Maria said as she held the towel tighter against herself. She knew she was in a bad position because other than the towel, she had nothing else on.

"I need to do some blood work on ye and here's your necklace back. It came back positive" Thane stated as he handed the necklace back to Maria and then left the room, but not before getting one more glance at the red-headed girl in the towel.

_It's definitely going to be a long couple of weeks. How am I going to keep my hands off her? Let alone, keep Peron from finding out that she is the one I have been dreaming about. Wait a minute! I heard her mention something about seeing me in her dreams. Could she be telling the truth or is it something that she made up? Oh well, I will ask her later after a very cold shower._ Thane thought as he turned his head and walked out the door.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Later on in the evening, Thane came back with a change of clothes and about five minutes later, Maria was ready to have dinner with him. It was not actually a date but it was the first time she had actually gone out with a guy without Reva being with her or her being with Reva on her dates.

He brought her a pair of dark green jeans and a white tank top. She was lucky enough to still have some underwear and socks, along with her boots.

The first thing Thane did was take a small sample of her blood from her finger and placed it into a device. He knew that his brother, Peron, would not go near another red-headed female. Even if his life depended upon it. He explained that it was going to trace her parentage by matching her blood with that of all tested individuals. Thane also said that it would only take about ten minutes to come back with the results and it would tell everything about her background.

Peron and Vladimir joined them a few moments later and ordered their meals from the synthetic food machine on the wall. Thane ordered Maria's and his food after they got through, but the computer would not give him the correct order.

"Thane doesn't have good luck with machines, especially computers" Peron chuckled as he sat down next to Maria.

"I can see that" Maria laughed as she watched Thane curse up one end and down the other for several minutes before the computer finally gave him what he asked for.

"I hope ye like well-done T-bone steaks with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn" Thane stated as he set the plate down in front of Maria.

"You're lucky I do" Maria smiled as she looked up at Thane and realized that he had actually removed his sunglass and she was finally able to get a good look at his sky-blue eyes.

She felt as though she was swimming as she continued to look at them. He must have sensed her admiring him because; he looked up and smiled at her. His eyes bore into hers with such intense heat that she felt her knees start to buckle and if she hadn't been sitting down, she would have fallen onto the floor. Maria, feeling as though judgment being the better part of valor focused her attention on the steak.

That's when they heard the little machine, which was testing her blood, started making a beeping noise. Thane looked over and he wore a shocked expression on his face. He looked over at Maria, then back at the little device and then back at her. She seemed curious because she leaned over to try and snag a peak at the device.

"Well bro, what does it say?" Peron asked as he stuffed some more food into his mouth.

"It doesn't say anything, bro, ye have to read it" Vladimir stated with a laugh as he drank some milk.

"Thane, please tell me" Maria softly asked as she tilted her head to the side and looked at him with her soft emerald green glance.

"Well, Princess…ye are who ye claim to be" Thane looked at her and then bowed his head in acknowledgement of her noble birth.

"You don't need to do that" Maria knew what he was doing and she was not about to stand for it.

"It's customary as well as proper etiquette" Thane stated.

"I don't get it" Peron looked around him and was extremely confused by Thane's statement.

"He means that this young lady ye are sitting next to is one of the missing Princesses of Saturn. She is the true heir to the throne because she is the daughter of King Kronos and Queen Ariel" Vladimir stated as he watched Peron go from being silly to one of shock.

They all laughed for the first time in a long while. Maria's female laughter warmed the heart of Thane as he listened to her. It had been six months since the last time he heard female laughter and now, in the middle of cold space, a warm female laugh was filling the empty space.

"Well, bro, I think that be the first time Peron has ever worn that kind of expression" Vladimir chuckled.

"Ye see, Princess, the biggest problem all of us have with believing ye is the fact that all three of us were too young to remember what your mother and father looked like. Now, our mama, she would know because your mother was there the day our mama had to stand trial on Sirrus" Thane stated as he shoveled some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Why did your mom have to stand trial?" Maria questioned as she looked at each of the three brothers.

"The Sirrus government was going to try her for conspiracy to commit murder. Which is punishable by death" Vladimir stated.

"Did she really do that?" Maria was shocked to learn that kind of news about a woman who was facing the death penalty.

"Yes and no. Yes, because she was aware of what she was doing and no because she had very good reason to" Thane stated before taking a drink of milk.

"I don't understand" Maria gave each of them a strange, questioning look.

"What he means is that she was kidnapped from her home on Earth when she was sixteen and her sister was only six. Our father was the one who was sent to assassinate her according to Martian Law. But, he didn't know that she was a woman. Our mama can tell ye a lot better than we could. She remembers it like it was yesterday" Vladimir stated.

"Will I get to meet her?" Maria asked.

"Yes, ye will. Ye have no choice. You're not married and ye cannot stay on board this ship with three full grown men without a chaperone. Besides, ye are probably still a virgin anyway" Thane stated before regretting the last words he had spoken. No male ever questioned a woman's virtue in mixed company and her being a Princess was no exception to this rule.

"If you really must know, I have not been with any man nor do I wish to" Maria snapped when she realized that the Captain was actually questioning her innocence. She stood up and decided it was time she went back to her room before she said something that she was going to regret.

"I wasn't questioning your virtue Princess; I was merely making a statement" Thane was doing his best to apologize for his rudeness but it was obvious that she was not interested in his excuses.

"Good night gentlemen. When are we are going to land on Mars?" Maria asked once she reached the open door.

"It will be about a week or so. We have had a problem arise with the fuel cells. It needs to be repaired" Vladimir quickly offered the information to attempt to save his brother's face.

"Okay. Thank you and good night" Maria said as she walked out the door and back to her room.

"Good night, Princess" Thane softly said and was immediately the center of his two brothers' attention.

"What?" Thane said, looking guilty over his comment.

"Ye like her" Peron stated with a chuckle.

"No, I just merely told her good night" Thane said as he stuffed his face full of food before he said something stupid and embarrassed himself.

"Uh huh, sure ye don't" Vladimir said with a knowing smile.

He knew just as well as Thane that the Princess was the spitting image of the girl that he had been painting for the last several weeks. There was no use in denying the remarkable resemblance between the Princess and of the girl of Thane's dreams. There was a fine line between coincidence and fate. It had to be fate that brought the Princess on board the Orion and into Thane's life. What else could it have been?

"Oh men! They are all the same on any planet. Just some are worse than others" Maria griped as she striped out of all of her clothes except for her tank top and underwear.

She threw herself onto the narrow bed and lay on her stomach trying to figure the Captain out. He acted as though, one minute he wanted her and the next minute he didn't. She had never felt so confused in her entire life. She liked him because he was honest but she hated him because he could sometimes be unkind to people.

She just wished that he could make some sense instead of being so difficult to understand.

Maria rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on something other than her pounding heart. That's when she heard a knock at her door. She grumbled out of frustration at being disturbed when all she wanted was to be left alone.

"Princess, it's me" Thane said in a tone that sounded rather upset.

"What do you want?" Maria asked as she climbed out of bed and opened the door.

There stood Thane with a single crystal rose in his hand and his head was bowed. His hair was neatly pulled back at the base of his neck and held in place with a rubber band. He actually was not wearing his sunglasses and she could finally see his sky-blue eyes clearly.

"I wish to apologize for my rudeness. I have never been good with girls" Thane said as he handed her the crystal rose and then finally looked at what Maria was wearing. He hadn't known until that moment that she was wearing next to nothing for clothes. He felt his cheeks become hot with embarrassment and intrigue, as she accepted the rose and placed on top of her nightstand.

He wasn't sure if he should retire for the night or take Maria into his arms and kiss her senseless. He actually preferred the latter. It had been a long time since he had looked at woman with desire and Maria was no exception. She was beautiful, stubborn and feisty, all of which made her all the more desirable. He could feel the heat curling in his loins as he continued to look into her green eyes.

_What could one kiss hurt? _Thane thought as he raised a hand up to caress her face. His fingers worked their way to the base of her neck and slowly pulled her head closer to his. Thane bent his head down half-way to meet her mouth, slowly as to not frighten her away and to give her the time to back away. But, she was in too much shock as his lips grazed against hers.

Thane heard a gentle sigh escape her mouth and he took that as a signal that he could go farther with his intensions.

He gently pushed her into the room and closed the door behind him. He allowed both his hands to caress up and down her back and he increased the urgency of his kiss. His tongue slid inside her mouth and Maria reciprocated by meeting him half-way with hers.

They both moaned as Maria wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her hips, unintentionally, up and against Thane. Maria heard him groan and she thought that she had hurt him. But, his anatomy said otherwise as she felt his hardness pressing through his jeans against her belly.

Maria became scared at the fact that she could feel this way about a man that she had just met less than twenty-four hours ago and he was now touching her in an intimate sense.

Maria's mind ran wild as she tried to think of a way to tell him no without being rude about it. She just wasn't ready for this kind of intimacy. Especially with Thane. Even though in her dreams they had made love many times but this was in person and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

Maria decided that her best move was to place both her hands on his chest and gently push him away. Thane took the hint that he was getting out of line with his actions but this time, he decided to not apologize for it. He could tell by her reaction that she had enjoyed it but was not prepared. Nor was he for that matter.

Thane released his hold on Maria and, as politely as he could, excused himself from her private quarters.

Maria shook her head in disbelief at what had just transpired between Thane and herself. At the same time, she rather enjoyed it. She made a vow to herself that she would not allow him to get that close to her again. She just wasn't sure how long that vow would last.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Maria had been on board the Orion for slightly over a week and had every part of the ship memorized. The reason why she did that was to deliberately avoid Thane and to also give herself something to do to pass the time while they waited for the ship to be repaired.

They had been docked at the repair facility for the past five days waiting on parts and authorization from Mars to repair the ship under their bill.

Admiral Zocar was not exactly happy about having to pay for repairs to the Orion.

From what Peron had explained to her is that the ship was over thirty years old and was suppose to be out of commission several years ago but their father had insisted upon it being kept in top of the line condition since he was the one who bought it many years ago and it has been paid off for a while.

Peron stated that trying to find parts for it was nearly impossible due to its age. But, parts could be found for a price. Everything had a price if one was willing to pay it and Admiral Zocar was not willing to fix it.

After Thane had an hour long discussion over the importance of the ship being repaired immediately, Admiral Zocar finally relented. It was only because Thane told him about their precious cargo, the princess of Saturn, that Zocar authorized the repairs.

Now that Maria new that the ship was going to be repaired shortly, she felt glad over being able to be reunited with Reva and being able to get as far away from Thane as possible.

Every time he looked at her, she could feel her knees buckling under her. When he spoke to her, the sound of his voice melted the insides of her body. And his kisses made her hunger for more.

So much for her vow to keep some distance between them.

Today, Maria had managed to find her way to the kitchen. She was very thankful that no one was there. She enjoyed every private moment she could get.

Making her way over to the synthetic food processor, she heard the distinct sound of heavy footsteps that were made by the sounds of work boots.

"Go figure, my quiet time is going to be ruined by one of those Desert Warriors" Maria mumbled to herself as turned her attention back to the food processor.

"Computer. Regular coffee. No cream or sugar" she said.

"Better make that a double, gorgeous" Thane calmly stated as he leaned against the door frame and admired Maria's lithe form.

"Order it yourself" she snapped as she picked up her cup of coffee and was getting ready to leave when Thane's voice stopped her.

"Why are ye avoiding me?" Thane calmly asked as he closed the distance between them.

"I have not" she quickly denied as she took a sip of her hot coffee.

"I'm not that stupid" he smiled as he gazed at Maria, from the top of her flaming red hair all the way down to her brown cowboy boots.

"Do you want the truth?" she asked as she took another short sip of her coffee.

"Yes, my mother always said that truth is best. That way ye never have anything to hide and ye get in less trouble" he stated.

"Okay, then the truth it is. I seem to have this very odd problem whenever I am around you and I am really not sure as to how to handle it" Maria lowered her eyes and looked down into the cup, hoping to avoid his soft blue gaze that was concealed by his mirrored sunglasses.

"What kind of problem do ye have with me?" he soothing spoke as he slid his hands up her arms until they came to cup her chin, gently forcing her to look up him. He felt her swallow hard and her breath caught in her throat.

"I'm not sure how to describe this kind of sensation that you are doing to me" Maria admitted as she felt a growing heat creeping up to her cheeks, staining them a delicate dark pink shade.

"I think I know exactly what ye problem is. Your body wants to be touched but, ye mind wishes to deny it" Thane's voice was thick and heavy with desire as he spoke to her.

"Look, I am not very good with these kinds of emotions. I've never had anyone create these kinds of feelings inside me before. I'm not used to it and it kind of scares me" Maria said as she watched Thane's tail come between them and gently take her coffee cup out of her hands and then placed it onto the kitchen bar.

"Close ye eyes and trust me" he softly spoke as he bent his head down and gently brushed his lips across her.

As he slid one of his hands behind her head, his other hand slid down her back and came to rest at her waist, pulling her body closer to his own.

Maria moaned hard when she felt Thane's hands slowly move down her spine, to her hips. He pulled her even closer and she gasped when she felt the evidence of his desire. She gasped more out of surprise by her own wanton actions than the shock of his need.

She was not aware of that Thane was lifting her up and carrying her to his room, until she heard the door open and then close.

Thane laid her down onto the narrow bed, not wanting to break the kiss; for fear that she would reject him. That's when he felt her hands come between them and push on his chest.

"What are you up to?" Maria asked, not even recognizing her own voice.

"I'm going to touch ye and allow ye to feel pleasure without taking ye all the way" he was hoping that would be enough of an explanation without having to go into detail.

"Then why are you removing your vest?" she asked when she saw him shrug out of the vest.

"I'm getting a little warm. Just relax. I won't hurt ye" he spoke as he nibbled on her neck while his deft fingers worked on her shirt buttons.

After undoing the long row of buttons, Thane worked his mouth down to the tops of her delicate breasts. At the same time, one of his hands began to work the front hook closure on her bra.

"Let me help" Maria panted heavily as she assisted Thane in his struggle with the cumbersome bra. She wasn't too sure of who was surprised more by this action. Thane or herself.

She could see the light of fire in his eyes as they roved over the upper portion of her nakedness.

"Thanks" he mumbled as he roughly shoved the flimsy fabric away from her body and took one her nipples into his mouth.

"Oh my!" she moaned as one of her hands threaded into his thick golden hair and the other hand rested on his shoulder.

Thane moved his hand down her firm flat stomach to the top of her pants. He very quickly undid the button and zipper on her jeans. He felt her jump when his hand caressed the top part of her white satin underwear and his knee slid between her thighs.

"Sshh. Relax. I won't hurt ye, beautiful" he whispered in her ear.

"I know you won't but, at the same time, I am still very nervous" she murmured.

"I could never hurt such a precious treasure such as ye" Thane whispered against her bare stomach as his hands continued their exploration down her long legs all the way to her feet.

Maria felt Thane's lips caress her bare belly, which quivered with each touch. She giggled when he nibbled her bare sides.

"Ah, the princess is ticklish" Thane softly chuckled as he made his way back up her body, finally covering hers with his own.

Thane slid his hand back between her legs, cupping her and gently massaging her through her jeans. He could feel the damp heat of her body seeping through the material as her breathing became heavier with each passing second. He could that she was on the verge of a climax as she nibbled on her lower lip and began to whimper.

"By the Gods, I want ye" he murmured into her ear before nibbling the side of her neck.

He felt her hands slid down his shoulders and his sides before one of them found their way to his swollen loins, which he was glad were covered by his jeans. He groaned as she ran her hand down him and then back up. She continued to caress him and he thought he was going to break through his pants at the rate she was going.

"Thane. Thane. Oh!" Maria screamed when she felt a searing heat curl through her loins so quickly that she didn't have time to react. The only thing that she did do was dig her nails into his side and squeezed him a little with her other hand.

That last squeeze of hers was all Thane needed before he let loose an animal-like growl and his own release exploded.

Thane laid his head down beside Maria's, burying his face into the curve of her neck. His uneven breathing finally started leveling out along with Maria's. He realized, with a damp sensation, his own lack of control when it came to her.

Thane slowly eased his weight off Maria and became embarrassed. But, when he looked into her eyes, her smile warmed his heart and cooled the pink that had crept up to his cheeks. He had never been one for having lack of control until this moment.

"Are you alright?" Maria questioned as she moved her hand up to his face and then pushed his hair out of the way.

"I have had better days" Thane confessed as he leaned over and planted a light kiss on her forehead before easing himself off her.

"Have I done something wrong?" Maria asked as she watched him pull off his pants.

"Nay, lass. Ye have not. It's me that has done something wrong to ye" Thane stated as he pulled his boots and pants off and then tossed them into the bathroom. His tail switched back and forth as he sensed Maria's eyes on his backside.

"I don't understand" Maria said as she got out of Thane's bed and put her clothes back on.

Maria looked at Thane's backside and thought about the fact that him being naked should have frightened her, but it didn't. She watched his tail moved from side to side and realized that it was actually attached to the base of his spine and was completely hairless.

"I shouldn't be touchin' ye" Thane said as he turned his head to look at Maria, who was closing the gap between them. He watched as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"But you have" Maria softly stated as she looked up at him.

"I think ye need to get back to your room" Thane stated as pulled away from Maria.

He saw her eyes grow wide with shock over his statement. He knew that it wasn't what either of them wanted but, he felt as though it was the right move to make. He knew that if he didn't get her out of his room, he would make a mistake that would change their lives forever.

He may want her but he knew he couldn't have her.

"Is that what you want?" Maria grew upset over having him push her away.

"Nay, but it is for the best" Thane knew that he could never explain to Maria why he was pushing her away. No matter how much he wanted her, he didn't think he was good enough for a princess.

"Fine. Have it your way" Maria said as she tried to harden her heart against his rejection. She backed away from Thane and turned around. As she left his room, tears began to form in her eyes and she ran down the hall to her room before anyone saw her. But, someone did see her and he was not happy with what was going on.

After Thane splashed water onto his face, he pulled on a clean pair of jeans. That's when he heard a very loud pounding knock on his door.

"I'm comin'" Thane stated as he walked toward the door and then opened it.

What he met was a fist to the face.

"Ye damn bloody fool" Peron yelled at Thane as he sat on the floor rubbing his jaw. He was met with a foul look from Thane.

"What were ye thinkin'?" Peron continued. He was hoping to get through Thane's thick skull and make him understand that not all women were the same.

After Peron witnessed Maria's reaction to Thane's rejection, he felt it was best that he finally intervened in his brother's personal life. He knew Maria was the one that his brother had been searching for and the one he had been dreaming about, even though Thane never told him about his dreams.

Peron knew his brother was hard-headed, he just didn't think that he was so stubborn to even admit his feelings for the young princess. But, he had been wrong before and this matter was no exception. Thane rejected every female for fear of being emotionally hurt later on.

"What are ye talkin' about?" Thane questioned as he tried to get back up off the floor, only to have Peron shove him back onto the floor.

It was very rare that his younger brother ever went up, physically, against him but, when he did, it was not a pretty site. Peron may be the smaller of the three of them but, he could stand his own ground when it came down to fighting anyone, including his two older brothers.

"Ye know what I be talkin' about you damn fool. How, in the entire galaxy, can ye let her walk out of your life?" Peron chastised Thane with everything that he could.

"She's a princess. She deserves better" Thane tried to convince, not only Peron but himself. He felt as though that is what she needed.

Obviously, his brother felt otherwise.

"So ye think. Why didn't ye ask her how she felt? Instead, ye want her one minute and then ye turn her away the next. It's a wonder that she still cares about ye. If it were me, then I would have abandoned ye a long damn time ago" Peron stated as he leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, but ye are too damn ugly for any man to like" Thane chuckled as he rubbed his sore jaw.

"Maybe for any man but not for the female species. I am very well loved by all the ladies" Peron stated with a smug look on his face.

"That be far from true, lad" Thane stated as he finally was allowed to get up off the floor, with the help of Peron.

"What? Ye don't think I can get any lady I want" Peron said as he curled up his arm and made his bicep muscle bulge.

"Ye got that right" Thane said as he started to walk out his room before Peron grasped his upper arm, stopping him.

"Don't ye hurt her. I see the way she looks at ye and the way ye look at her. Ye both care a great deal about each other and ye both would be good for each other if ye both would give in to the other. Ye need to tell her the truth about why ye push her away every time she gets a little too close. Tell her the truth or else leave her alone" Peron said as he stared at Thane with his "do this or I will make ye pay" look.

"Oh really. I thought I was the Captain" Thane stated.

"Ye are also my brother and I have that right to kick your tail all over this ship" Peron chuckled as he released Thane's arm.

"This I gotta see" Thane dared Peron with a look that should have scared him off but Peron knew better.

"Okay, ye asked for it" Peron softly chuckled as he drew back his fist and landed it on Thane's shoulder.

Thane gave Peron a shove. Peron shoved Thane backwards. Thane used his tail to pull Peron onto the floor with him.

"Dog pile!" Vladimir exclaimed as he jumped on top of his two brothers as they tussled around on the floor.

Maria stood underneath the warm shower spray, sobbing, with her clothes still on. She hurt more from feeling used by Thane than from his rejection. She wrapped her arms around her torso and sank down to the floor in the corner.

Her clothes clung to her skin and her hair clung to the sides of her face in thick wet strands. Her eyes shown bright green surrounded by red. Her eye lashes were soaked, not only by her tears but also by the shower.

Maria was startled by the sound of her phone ringing. After pulling herself up, Maria pulled off her wet clothes and allowed them to fall to the shower floor.

After grabbing a towel off the towel rod, Maria walked into the bedroom just in time for the cell phone to take a voice mail. After listening to the voice mail from Reva, Maria called her back.

Reva sounded concerned on her voice mail.

"Hey sis!" Reva exclaimed when she answered her phone.

"Hey, what's up?" Maria asked as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Well, aside from the fact that this voyage would be a very long and boring trip without a portable computer to help pass the time, our dear friend James has tagged along and he is stationed in the first class area of the plane" Reva stated with a bit of harshness in the tone of her voice as she crossed her denim clad legs.

"Oh great. He is doing exactly what I thought he would do and I was hoping he wouldn't" Maria lamented as she shook her head in disgust over having to deal with him again.

"Don't worry, I'll fix his wagon before Mars and if he continues to follow around, we can tag team him" Reva stated as she looked up from her seat and saw James coming from the back of the plane.

"Sounds like a winner to me" Maria agreed as she stood up, allowing the towel to fall to the floor.

"I'll see you soon. I should be there in a couple of days" Reva stated.

"I am not sure if I will be there in a few days because the ship is broke down but I promise you I will be there as soon as I can" Maria vowed.

"Don't worry. Mom gave me the card and told me to use only if I need it. So, I can rent a room for a few days and you can let me know for certain when you will be in. We'll hook up then" Reva stated as she uncrossed her legs.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. I'll see you shortly" Maria said.

"See ya soon sis" Reva said as she hung up the phone.

She could sense that something was bothering Maria, she just couldn't place her finger on it. She would get it out of Maria later. Right now she had a problem on her hands that needed to be taken care of before it got out of hand and that problem was James being


End file.
